Did you know…the history of masks and vice in Venice is incredible. Centuries ago the Venetians devised an extreme example of liberty using a special mask called La Gnaga.
Made of light papier mache, the Gnaga mask covered half of the face, leaving the mouth free. La Gnaga wearers openly provoked townsfolk on the street with a multitude of obscenities spoken in a gruff voice. This harsh voice made them sound like cats, which in Venetian is ‘gnau’ which explains the name of this mask.
With their mask La Gnaga on, the wearer could not be arrested however strange or disorderly his/her behavior (unless really violent or dangerous), because he/she became a “masked person”, and officially any mask was acting out a role, or playacting. If apprehended for infringing the law, the exuberant mischief-maker could simply retort: “The Mask made me do it” and get away with it!
A nice trick, but don’t expect it to work in today’s world. Nowadays, it’s not the mask itself that liberates. It's the act of making masks that switches on valuable new ways of seeing and thinking to liberate the creative process. There is something liberating about making your own stuff.
Made of light papier mache, the Gnaga mask covered half of the face, leaving the mouth free. La Gnaga wearers openly provoked townsfolk on the street with a multitude of obscenities spoken in a gruff voice. This harsh voice made them sound like cats, which in Venetian is ‘gnau’ which explains the name of this mask.
With their mask La Gnaga on, the wearer could not be arrested however strange or disorderly his/her behavior (unless really violent or dangerous), because he/she became a “masked person”, and officially any mask was acting out a role, or playacting. If apprehended for infringing the law, the exuberant mischief-maker could simply retort: “The Mask made me do it” and get away with it!
A nice trick, but don’t expect it to work in today’s world. Nowadays, it’s not the mask itself that liberates. It's the act of making masks that switches on valuable new ways of seeing and thinking to liberate the creative process. There is something liberating about making your own stuff.
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