"Ghostly Imprints": Revisiting the Tradition of the Death Mask in Digital Clay
Date
2022-09-16
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Arts Research Africa
Abstract
This paper explores the representation of the dead through
a creative project that involves 3D digital sculptures inspired
by forensic facial photographs of unclaimed deceased in
government morgues as well as posthumous photographs
of the author’s mother-in-law. The project draws on the
tradition of death masks and aims to create final portraits
that commemorate the individuals and acknowledge the
transcendental aspects of death masks. The author’s work is
situated within the discourse of art theory and history, rather
than forensic art, and emphasises the artistic and conceptual
nature of the sculptures. The project is associated with the
International Committee of the Red Cross’s Missing and
Deceased Migrant Project and explores the humanitarian
implications of migrant deaths in South Africa. The paper also
delves into the history and evolution of death masks in Western
culture, highlighting their significance as representations of
true faces and their use in phrenology.