Life Mask / Death Mask: an art project by giacinta frisillo
Masks have become a staple of our lives, both worn on our faces and discarded on the streets. Artist and regular contributor, giacinta frisillo has been documenting this new form of litter as part of a performance painting project.
words and paintings by giacinta frisillo
While out for my daily dose of allotted exercise during the deepest days of lockdown, I began to take note of the dozens of facemasks strewn about the neighborhood. No matter which way I walked, down streets and through parks, blue surgical masks appeared, trod upon and rain-soaked into slurry. I began to notice them stuck in bushes and on fence posts, in gardens, on benches, and once, stuck to the foot of a pigeon.
As the pandemic drags on and the need for masks as protection from the spread – even for those fully vaccinated – continues, there is no end in sight to this newest disease of the environment. These masks are degrading quickly into microplastics, polluting our waterways, filling the bellies of birds and fish, and soon, saturating us.
They might be dropped accidentally, like a lost glove in winter, or carelessly discarded after use, but whatever the reason, their introduction into the environment is overwhelming, unsightly, and dangerous.
I felt helpless.
And so I began a series of 19 performance paintings: 19, as a nod to Covid and the performance being an attempt to commune with my neighbours during an otherwise isolated existence.
Slogging about Govanhill with an easel on my shoulder, I find a jettisoned mask and set to painting. Without fail, at least one curious person comes to talk to me – every time I’m out. From young to old, of any ethnicity and every walk of life. We chat about the need for masks to protect, not destroy and we begin to rebuild community. While I don’t solve the environmental crisis, I pack up basking in optimism and kinship.
Keep an eye out around the neighborhood for more to come with this project and remember: wear reusable masks when you can and when you can’t, make sure single-use masks reach the bin.
