Summer’s End
June 2023 – October 2023
A project in collaboration with Seadog Books.
My brief was to create visuals for an event night with DJ sets by Zakia Sewell, Eat Ethio and Melinda Bronstein. This night’s theme was ‘Summer’s End’ or ‘Samhain’, a pagan celebration of the changing of seasons and the coming of winter.
My angle for my research and inspiration was set on the acts of mumming and guising, disguising onself to blend in with spirits.
The ideation process started with a moodboard. To make the animations more specific, I focused on disguise and more particularly African masquerades, masks and dances. I also took inspiration from different materials that would remind of African rituals such a stone for statuettes (image 1) or the rafia used on certain for masks (image 8).
The ideation process started with a moodboard. To make the animations more specific, I focused on disguise and more particularly African masquerades, masks and dances. I also took inspiration from different materials that would remind of African rituals such a stone for statuettes (image 1) or the rafia used on certain for masks (image 8).
Many african cultures honour the deads and celebrate funerals through dances and masquerade. I mainly looked at nigeria, burkina faso and congo for inspiration. Both the actual dancing and the attire worn during these dances are such rich references to pull from. I connected funerary rituals and dances and masquerade with our western rituals (halloween) around the autumnal season.
Research on different masks. Some of them were made to resemble animals with animal characteristics (horns, rafia, feathers). Specific tribes had specific features and meanings to their masks.
Overview of the night here.