Stage Face - Colour Symbolism

Kathakali

Kathakali originates in Kerela, India. It is a combination theatrical dance, song and mythology and is for the most part secular in that there is no connection with temple worship, though there are Hindu ritual and rebirth themes present. In Kathakali, the make up is the character and this particularly complex make up follows some of the following symbolism:

Green: Good

Red: Anger

Black: What is repellent

Yellow: Wonder

Eye makeup: Oval/lotus shapes for good , block/square for evil

The make up makes the character which makes the mood or abstract aspect of life

 Peking Opera

Now to East Asia and Peking Opera which has distant religious roots but is generally another secular entertainment. Characters are once again heavily defined by the the face and the expressions determined by mask and make up, from feminine gentleness to brutality. Artistically stylized designs are vital in Peking Opera to provide the audience with instantly recognisable characters and historic figures. Once again we have integral colour symbolism:

Gold: Divinity, supernatural beings

Yellow: The imperial colour, reticence (whole face)

Black: Impetuousness or (strict) law abiding

Red: Courage, loyalty, faithfulness

White: Brutality (whole face), scoundrel/clown (patch across nose & eyes)

Blue: Cruelty

Green: Demon/devil

Mela

On the weekend, the Southampton Mela Festival took place acting as a promotion for South Asian arts, music and food. Art Asia are the founders of the event and they're now in their thirtieth year having also taken part in the EjectorSeat Arts festival, that I've mentioned before. There was much to see and do but unfortunately I didn't arrive until the afternoon and the weather put me off staying more than a couple of hours, though I enjoyed some great live music, performances and curry in between the showers!

Unrelated to this post but definitely to the last, below are two photos to show how big the mountboard skull is in comparison to a person! On sunday I went with a few friends to Netley Abbey and definitely want to return soon for a photoshoot as I'm pretty sure the demonic mask, in contrast with the angelic headdress I have in mind for the second person to wear, will work well in the ruins of the Abbey.  

Images by KLV

Aardvarks and Armadillos

Though this post is very much delayed, thanks to locking myself out of my flat for two days(!!), I have decided to intertwine my research of animal symbolism into my blog and will post what I've found alphabetically to refer to in future projects.

Since the aardvark is such a wide spread creature, there is a degree of variation in the symbolism found for example the snout of an aardvark acted (perhaps still acts) as a phallic symbol in pre-colonial Africa, which according to ‘The Continuum encyclopedia of animal symbolism in art’ resulted in the creature having it removed by Tabwa (Congo) men in order to stop any embarrassment in front of the women. On an even more serious note, cutting Aardvark snouts and genitals is also intended to preserve and empower male superiority. However in Mali, the Bamana create masks and headdresses, named Chi Wara, intended for agricultural ceremonies and the aardvark as a symbol of agriculture and viewed as a ‘human animal’ for its digging behaviour is featured in the designs. By imitating animals such as aardvarks and pangolins, it is hoped that you will learn the secrets of the earth which in Bamana life is viewed as female. This ties in with the phallic snout of the aardvark as the act of cultivation is viewed as sexual by the Bamana and as their territory is in the dry central landscape of Mali, I would assume the aardvark is held in high regard. This animal reaches as far north as Egypt in traditional symbolism as the god Set is said by many to have the head and other qualities of an aardvark, acting as the god of deserts and darkness seems appropriate for this usually nocturnal creature.

Chi Wara general headdress (left), Chi Wara headdress with aardvark at the bottom (right)

Egyptian god 'Set'

From the continent of Africa to the Americas and the origin of the armadillo and much like the aardvark, the armadillo or Azotochtli (turtle-rabbit) is also synonymous with the earth and agriculture however this goes further with it also being associated with the afterlife. This is due to being a ground dwelling creature but also the nine bands of the nine banded (most populous) armadillos ’shell’ represent the levels of the underworld in Mesoamerica, evidence of this symbolism can be found in Mayan pottery. This link to the afterlife is furthered by the apparent grave digging service that was provided by armadillos in South American myth. For a creature that makes little noise, it was a surprise to learn it had such a connotation with music. In particular the Mayans depicted armadillos anthropomorphically as drummers, beating on jaguar skins and usually accompanied by other creatures. There is also the literal transformation of armadillos into musical instruments and as you can see by some of the images below there is a wide variety.

 

The modern depiction of the armadillo strays away from the musical and more towards the obvious aspect of its defence mechanism. From kitchenware to architecture, designers have mimicked the 'armor plating' of this creature.

Armadillo chair by Aodh O Donnell

wheredidyoubuythat.com

1950s Maya style armadillo bracelet - Decotini

Lisa Maione - 'Architecture is to armadillo as'

Armadillo Shoes - Alexander McQueen

1940s Armadillo bag - Etsy

Bulgarian Masquerade

The ritual of Kukeri is intended to scare off unwanted evil spirits and the sounds of bells is important so the costumes are often covered in them. As well as this purpose, this tradition originally took place to ensure a good harvest and health to Bulgarian villages. This pagan like ritual has been preserved almost in its original form throughout Bulgaria though it does differ slightly in certain areas of the country, having said that the standard materials are often fur, skins, bells and of course the elaborate headdresses. The Kuker leader is dressed with seven animal skins, symbolizing the force of the animal transmitted to him. He doesn’t wear a headdress - instead his face is blackened with make up, horns are attached directly to his head, and bells are hung from his waist. The following photos are by Ivo Christov.

Island Games & Birthday Celebrations

Not this weekend but the previous, I went back home to celebrate my birthday with my family and on the Saturday we decided to watch the Island Games parade in Ryde. Around 25 islands, but not island nations, from around the world compete in a series of sporting events. Competitors included islands such as Greenland, the Falklands, Faroe Islands, Bermuda, Gibraltar and Rhodes as well as many more. I went with my family, with a few drinks of course, to watch the parade which lasted a lot longer than expected but with the fair amount of sunshine, it was definitely another nice day out to add to the ever growing list! The day after the parade I went for lunch with my mum and her friend, it was incredibly foggy/misty that day so Sandown Pier, which you can normally see from afar, was barely visible from metres away and made for a unique if slightly odd setting for our meal! This was followed by dinner with my dad, we then went for a walk in the evening to the nearby duck pond/common area with my sister.

This weekend just gone, the meal at Pilgrim House that I mentioned in the last post took place. It was great to have friends there and it was a really lovely evening though the food could have been a bit better, I think I'd built it up too much in my mind! Anyway, before the meal Asha kindly bought me some delicious cocktails at Pitcher and Piano, which were pretty strong so left me a little tipsy. The evening ended with episodes of Sex and the City with Asha, Bex, Somali and chocolate - a good combination and on Saturday I went to Dungeon for my birthday night out and from what people tell me I had a good time! I may have got a bit carried away but at least this time I had an excuse for once.. All in all excellent birthday celebrations though it's becoming more and more draining being at this horrible job centre course, yet there are some very promising (if voluntary) opportunities in the pipeline. So watch this space!

Images by KLV