For my editorial look I know I want the body paint to be striking, but to create the sort of mysterious/tribe look that I am after I have decided to think carefully about the styling. I want there to be symbolism, perhaps to help create a weird, mystical shaman like feel to the look. I have included this picture of Calypso from Pirates of the Caribbean as she is definitely an influence to the sort of look I am going for, with her tattooed face, rich worn fabrics and carefully selected jewellery and hair beads.
Another idea I like is the use of a turban, which on a male model will hopefully have more impact than on a female as it more unusual. Pictured is an example of a Wodaabe man wearing a turban. The effect is enigmatic. I would be interested to see what I could attach to a turban too, such as feathers and trinkets. I think the fabrics used will be important so I will consider this carefully before making it.
Something I know I would like to get into the image somehow is Cowry shells. I know they have been used as currency for thousand of years, even discovered mysteriously in some of the most in-land locations as explained here on the Wikipedia site:
"The Ojibway aboriginal people in North America use cowry shells which are called sacred Miigis Shells or whiteshells in Midewiwin ceremonies, and theWhiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, Canada is named after this type of shell. There is some debate about how the Ojibway traded for or found these shells, so far inland and so far north, very distant from the natural habitat. Oral stories and birch bark scrolls seem to indicate that the shells were found in the ground, or washed up on the shores of lakes or rivers. Finding the cowry shells so far inland could indicate the previous use of them by an earlier tribe or group in the area, who may have obtained them through an extensive trade network in the ancient past. Petroforms in the Whiteshell Provincial Park may be as old as 8,000 years"
Theres a mystery to the cowry shell that I want to include in my final piece, so I've decided to remove the shells from an old bracelet of mine, sew them together and attach them to my turban.
Another accessory I made is the bracelet below. I decided to cut out these small face and fit them to the bracelet sections. In the image these faces still haven't been stuck, but to make them fit the domed bead a scrunched up the paper lots, to make it soft, before glueing with spray mount. I then sprayed more glue over the top to give a hardened finish.
I took the idea to do this from old tribes who used the heads or body parts of their defeated as body adornment.
So.. after all the turban talk here is my attempt at creating my very own:
I started off with the polystyrene head and a beehive wig that I found in a fancy dress shop. I then sculpted the turban around the wig, which gave me initial volume instead of me having to layer up the turban with fabric (seeing as I have no idea how to tie one!).For the fabrics I wanted to use some that had culture and significance to the project, so my first layer is sari fabric which I purchased in India. Around this I wrapped an egyptian silk scarf, and to bring more shape to the front of the turban I added a silk scarf that belonged to a Great Great Aunty of mine, who for a woman of that era did a lot of travelling. This was secured into place by a feathered alice band and plenty of safety pins! The face that the materials mean something to me have definitely added to the turban and I'm pleased and suprised at how it turned out.
As I used a wig for the base, I had the fringe to contend with. I initially was going to remove the wig by tucking it up into the fabric. After a little more thought I decided it might be fun to try and get another cultural reference in there. I decided to crop the fringe so it was very short, resembling that of the Mucawana women (pictured) who use cow fat and cow dung to stiffen their very short fringes.
I hope all these ideas put together will create a successfully styled piece. For the shoot I will attach the cowries to the turban and add feathers etc. as I see fit. I will also play around with the possibilities of adding and earrings.
References:
http://www.coincoin.com/seXX1.htm
http://pinterest.com/pin/214835844696146836/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/5056134021/
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As far as styling goes for this character, I want to keep it really simple. This look really is all about the skin so I can;t detract from that. Again, I will be using material that I have been picked up on travels. I will be using a beautiful sari found in India as pictured. The greens, reds and golds of the design lend themselves nicely to the kind of image I want to create, something of-the-earth and natural feeling.
"The Ojibway aboriginal people in North America use cowry shells which are called sacred Miigis Shells or whiteshells in Midewiwin ceremonies, and theWhiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, Canada is named after this type of shell. There is some debate about how the Ojibway traded for or found these shells, so far inland and so far north, very distant from the natural habitat. Oral stories and birch bark scrolls seem to indicate that the shells were found in the ground, or washed up on the shores of lakes or rivers. Finding the cowry shells so far inland could indicate the previous use of them by an earlier tribe or group in the area, who may have obtained them through an extensive trade network in the ancient past. Petroforms in the Whiteshell Provincial Park may be as old as 8,000 years"
As I used a wig for the base, I had the fringe to contend with. I initially was going to remove the wig by tucking it up into the fabric. After a little more thought I decided it might be fun to try and get another cultural reference in there. I decided to crop the fringe so it was very short, resembling that of the Mucawana women (pictured) who use cow fat and cow dung to stiffen their very short fringes.
