Makeup

As an overview, this is my first exploration of makeup as an expression of my identity, similar to the ideas I explore in my clothing artwork, where I talk about using symbolic patches sown onto clothing as a way to communicate our life journeys. My main objective with makeup is to create something meaningful that I will use during my reBirth Ceremony on July 11, 2020. Check out the video for an overview of this page

Introduction

The idea of using makeup to explore my identity started initially from just being silly. On a Saturday, I was running one of my last participants before Brandeis shut down due to COVID19. After I finished, we went on a walk and I did some light dumpter diving. Along the way, in a rusted puddle underneath a mammoth electronic beast, I found a makeup kit with shimmering colors. I felt sadness for it, forlorn and abandoned...all that it ever wanted to do was make someone look pretttty. And so, I gained a side quest...but who could I make look pretty?

Found thrown away in a Lexington trashcan, I rescued this beautiful family and gave them a home within my own. When applying makeup I initially wanted to use inspiration from the patterns seen in Chickadees and then abstract it to look like Gaussian surfaces that I used to draw when I was a physics student. However, the idea morphed and instead, everytime I used a new glittering color, it nucleated a spreading pattern. If you like my design, I am available for weddings and proms and will most likely charge much less than everyone else.

After leveling up my makeup skills on my inanimate family, I decided to use the remaining makeup on myself. Many use makeup as a way to enhance certain features, however I wanted to use makeup as a way to enhance my identity. At the time, I felt kinship with the Parrot Fish, who eat corals and poop out sand. I think now I am at the level of starting my own youtube makeup tutorial channel.

Ceremonial Makeup to represent Identity

After my silly exploration of makeup, I began thinking with greater depth into the role of makeup in defining identity and how it can be used to represent our culture. For example, many indians wear kajal around their eyes and this is formed by collecting the soot from a burning piece of camphor.

Previously, I had been thinking about what represents my identity? I was thinking about this because I am planning my reBirth ceremony on July 11, 2020 and I want to use themes that are sampled from my surrounding environment. To me, I relate with the Chickadee because it is the state bird of Massachusetts and because they often visit my birdfeeder in Lexington.

For my dance ceremony, I will be composing the music using the cadence of their call: Chicka-dee-dee-dee. Thinking about this, led me to the idea of using makeup to look like a Chickadee to represent my identity and connection to my land.

The makeup itself can have lots of meaning. To create the black and white pattern, I have decided to burn wood from my land...one of which is from my fallen sacred mastertree III (a linden tree) and another is a recently fallen hemlock tree. The burning will create charcoal (the black) and ash (the white).

In the picture below, I am wearing a sweater, hat and scarf that my mother knit for me when I was in high school. I designed the predator-prey pants and my mother sowed them together.