TARTUTTAJAT || The Carriers: About The Designing Progress

The Carriers had a rather clear image in my mind right from the beginning. The masks only needed a little sketching to clarify their physical forms and to test out some different ideas.

The first mask to appear on the paper was the yellow-green mask. The idea of combining these colors with the symbolism of the social butterflies and flu was immediate. The initial design hardly changed during the progress from the drawn sketch to an actual mask.

The second one to take form as a sketch was the furious red mask. For this mask I wanted to bring out some aggressive horns and fangs while giving the whole mask an aura of an ancient entity. This design went through a few different versions already on the paper, altering further still under the scissors as the mask itself was on the making.

After the red one it was time for the blue mask. The sadness found its form easily in the round shapes resembling the tears flowing around the head, flying on the thin arches above and falling as the huge droplets below. The cones that crown the head are the blooming funeral flowers on the bond that the many tears have filled up.

The paranoid mask had maybe the most variations on the paper. The droopy lower eyelids, horrified eyes and the mind constantly in pain over the fears were present from the start while the shapes of their presentation kept searching for their final forms. For this mask, the sleepless eyes full of chaotic confusion and the mind on fire radiate the disturbing restlessness caused by fear.

While the ideas behind the designs were clear from the start, the making progress of The Carriers was very gratifying. The experimental tests on the materials were in a constant conversation with the designs, allowing the new ideas to be infused with the initial forms seamlessly.

On the next blog post, I’ll be sharing with you a peak into the materials and the making progress of TARTUTTAJAT.

Sincerely,

Iina