For our thematic seminar last week we all went to a topeng (or mask maker). Balinese Topeng is unique in that the carvers hold the mask with their feet while they work on it.
If the mask is being made for spiritual/religious reasons there is a whole process of purifying the mask. However, after all of the purifying the mask is still dirty because the artist used his feet to create it.
The head is the most sacred (that is why they put things on their heads)
head to the waist is mid ground
and
From the waist down is considered to be impure
therefore, extra purification must be performed to clean the mask to make it sacred.
The thought is that the mask is already inside of the wood and the artist is to coax it out.
Mask making is very physically strenuous, it involves lots of axe hacking and chisel chipping.
Once the artist have finished shaping the mask 10 coats of white paint are applied, then each color is applied multiple times. when the mask is finished there will be a total of 40 coats of paint.
Each mask is very expressive and the actor who is wearing it becomes very animated.
Whether it be serious, funny, scary, scared, king, queen, leaf, monster, snake, fool, anything.
The artist above is being bashful and embarrassed. Very cute and funny.
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