The masks are finished - Photo Shoot!

Mask Making Workshop - Day 3

Mask Fossils

Today our masks are dry, we cracked them open and look what came out!

More pics to come.....

Cath Whippey Mask Making - Day 2

Tuesday, and work began on the papier mache process. 5 layers if possible in alternationg colors. No folds!
The group liked the glue, which stayed warm for a little while after turing into paste/ semolina!. As the masks turned different colors, the group found that the personalities of their masks changed. Blue and Purple were the best colors for papering.
A special archival glue was used on the masks. This glue is normally used in book binding and has no acid in it, so it's kind to hands and doesn't effect the paper.

Cath helps Dawn smooth out any unruly folds.

Joel's wolf looked good in pink!


The wet papier mache made the masks look almost plasticy.




The hog.

Ruth's blue elephant.

The masks will have to dry next to the raidiators for two days before we can extract the clay and begin painting them. We next meet on Friday to do just this.

Cath Whippey Mask Making workshop - Day 1

In to the workshop 10 am and straight to work on the clay models of our masks.
Audrey, Dawn, Connie, Jodie and Joel have some great ideas and managed to produce some beautiful models, inspired by Cath's fantastic Golden wolf and other masks.
The group got on so well that they even had time to cover their models in cling film, ready to begin the papier mache process tomorrow. Cath says it will take two hours per papier mache layer and we need at least three layers, so they better not be late!!!

Jodie's mask
Audrey

Joel is inspired by Cath's wolf
Big improvement girls!

OURS AND TIMESPAN INVITE YOU TO THE DOUBLE SITED PREVIEW OF

STUDIO 1824
ICE HOUSE ARTIST. NETLABEL. LIVE SHOW. EXHIBIT

FRIDAY 10 APRIL 2009
SCALES : LIVE : ELECTRONIC MUSIC SHOW
LOCATION : HELMSDALE ICE HOUSE
6.30PM (SHARP) TO JUST AFTER 7PM (FLAT!)
ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY

STUDIO 1824: SOUND : PHOTOGRAPHY : VIDEO
LOCATION : TIMESPAN GALLERY
7PM - 9PM

SATURDAY 11 APRIL
ARTIST’S TALK 2-3PM

NEXT IN THE SERIES
RUTH MACDOUGALL 23 MAY - 28 JUNE 2009 | PREVIEW 22 MAY

The Ice House, Helmsdale’s monumental deep freeze. Once a store for salmon catch, later a coal fired fish and chip shop. Now the vaulted chamber plays host to a series of three double sited exhibitions, marking the end of two years as Timespan’s artist in residence and youth arts curator for Ruth Macdougall. The first Ice House artist, Chris Dooks, is commissioned and curated by Timespan’s youth arts group, OURS, led by Ruth.

‘’A linguistic survey sound recording from 1964 featured Helmsdale fisherman Neil MacKay and wife Mary (née Sutherland). A story is told and in the background, bells chime. A knitting group helped me track down the next of kin who had never heard the recording. Using the acoustics in Helmsdale’s ice house, I shaped music from these recordings, adding fresh elements to create a mini-album of “folktronica” with accompanying photographic cover-art. The project became a “netlabel" (www.studio1824.com), a live electronic concert, community workshops and a gallery exhibition featuring an enormous salmon of knowledge, patrolling the ice house and nearby Gartymore…’’
Chris Dooks

Exhibition Runs
Saturday 11 April - Sunday 17 May 2009
Mon - Sat 10-5pm | Sun 12-5pm
Free entry

Mask Making workshop with Cath Whippey

30, 31 March and 3 April 2009 | 10 – 5pm each day
Free, but booking is essential, so contact Ruth: art@timespan.org.uk

Cath Whippey is a fine artist, specialising in the culture of mask making. Her work varies from intimate head pieces to enormous full bodied works, exploring a host of materials.

With Cath you will have the opportunity to learn the process of making a mask that that you can wear. Using a process of clay modeling, papier mache and finally painting the masks.

Golden Wolf At Dusk


Drummer Mask


Each day will be a different stage.
Day one: clay modelingDay two: papier mache over the clay form
Day three: removing from clay, tidying up edges, cutting eyeholes, painting the mask, and wearing!

Brief: Think of an animal/human hybrid character - perhaps an animal with some human emotions e.g. - surprise, envy, in love, tranquility, mirth or a human with some animal emotions e.g. scurrying about, sniffing things out - Through the clay modeling process, you will discover the features of your mask. It's about finding a characteristic, a temperament and mood for the character you model.

Collect images of human facial expressions - the more expressive the better, maybe search for images of character actors faces - and collect images of animal faces, as many images as possible, you can bring in photocopies from books, maybe even sketches. Look in the mirror and try different expressions, see how 'pulling a face' makes you feel in your body and posture.

experimental film season