We Wear the Mask

After watching Ingmar Bergman's Persona (Sweden, 1966) we were asked to create a response to the film drawing from the styles of cinematographer Sven Nykvist and Bergman's direction.  Long held to be among the world's greatest filmmakers, Ingmar Bergman shaped international art cinema from the 1950s to the 1980s. Among his many works, Persona is often considered to be his masterpiece and is often described as one of the central works of Modernism.

In reflection of the film I focused on the scene where the head doctor speaks to the stage actress Elisabet (portrayed by Liv Ullmann) who fell silent during a performance and subsequently remains mute.  The head doctor talks about understanding why Elisabet has chosen to withdraw from her world, and deals with her choices by remaining mute.

For the project I took images of myself upon waking, early in the morning before the sun came up - when I'm not yet engaged in the days onslaught of thoughts, worries, or lists of things to do.  I attempted to portray the 'truth' of myself, but alas each image is quite performative.  I was trying to reveal what was behind the mask - the mask of makeup, the mask of clothing, the mask of facial expressions, like my ever worn smile.

I came upon the lyrical poem We Wear the Mask (1896) by Black American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, a work that represented the silence black Americans for forced to hide behind in a facade of happiness and contentment in regards to the oppression experienced.  Line 8 through 9 - "Nay, let them only see us, while/We wear the mask" became inspiration for my title "Let Them See Us."

We Wear the Mask

    We wear the mask that grins and lies,
    It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
    This debt we pay to human guile;
    With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
    And mouth with myriad subtleties.
    Why should the world be over-wise,
    In counting all our tears and sighs?
    Nay, let them only see us, while
            We wear the mask.
    We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
    To thee from tortured souls arise.
    We sing, but oh the clay is vile
    Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
    But let the world dream otherwise,
            We wear the mask!