10 Paul Pascaud Quentin Moranne The figure of the mask was central to John Hejduk’s thinking and work. For him, it acts as a mediator between the individual and the world. A building, like a mask, can protect, reveal or transform those who wear or inhabit it. The mask is therefore not a simple object or decorative element, but a metaphor for identity, transformation and the relationship between the interior and the exterior. The Mask On! workshop explores this relationship and questions the link between identity and belonging through the object of the mask. Whether used in traditional rituals, religious or non-religious cults, funerals or performances, masks allow those who wear them to conceal themselves, alter themselves, transform themselves—in other words, to access a new identity. Depending on the context, thanks to the transformation that takes place with the mask, the subject can interpret an existing personality, embody a fictional identity or, in certain cultures, commune with the spiritual world. Far from being just an artifice, the mask is a tool that allows us to explore other dimensions of being and to break free from the conventional limits of communication. Following John Hejduk’s example, we invite students to design and build a mask. Drawing a mask means learning to see architecture as an expressive language, where each element has symbolic and emotional significance. We will ask students to use masks to evoke the memory of buildings that no longer exist, such as Alison and Peter Smithson’s Robin Hood Gardens. These buildings left their mark, in their own way, on the history of architecture and the memories of their inhabitants. Making a mask requires an effort of synthesis and composition. Which elements, forms and materials most effectively communicate the architecture we wish to represent and the emotions we wish to convey? This course will explore this corpus of architectural references through various means of expression (drawing, collage, text, mock-ups) and will question the possible relationships between identity and belonging. This will culminate in the production of a mask by pairs of students. The joint presentation of the work will take the form of an exhibition, accompanied by a performance in which the students will wear their masks as they walk through the school and the streets of Antwerp.
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