Whether or not Greek, Japanese, or West African, masks have been recognized for his or her use in theatrical and ceremonial performances. Proper now, although, amid the pandemic, we are able to’t assist however affiliate the phrase masks with the all-too-familiar surgical masks. However masks will be far more advanced than small face coverings. They’ll embody all the head, like full-coverage helmets worn in instances of conflict or festive gildings worn in moments of celebration. So, when Lexus tapped textile designer Chrissa Amuah and architect Tosin Oshinowo to design objects “aware of our time” in coordination with 2020’s Design Miami/, the designers’ instant response was to defy and rethink the constraints introduced by way of the necessary face masks.
“The world finds itself in an unprecedented state of affairs—an awesome equalizer for everyone, whether or not wealthy or poor—the place all of us are aware of the pinnacle as each hostage to and host of an invisible adversary,” Amuah stated. Nonetheless, “if carrying masks is alleged to be the way in which that we are able to all defend ourselves and one another,” Amuah added, “then let’s do it in a spectacular manner, let’s make it joyous and celebratory.”
Amuah is the founder and inventive director of AMWA Designs and the driving drive behind Africa By Design, an exhibition of sub-Saharan design expertise, which Oshinowo can also be a part of. Amuah can also be a part of the group representing Ghana on the London Design Biennale 2021. Oshinowo lower her tooth at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and OMA and famous that the factor of permanence was all the time a part of her coaching, versus Amuah’s extra fluid or adaptable work. A RIBA member, Oshinowo is the lead architect on the Lagos-based cmDesign Atelier and founding father of Ilé-Ilà, a furnishings line that celebrates Oshinowo’s personal Yorùbá tradition.
Oshinowo and Amuah met three years in the past by way of a mutual buddy, graphic artist Damola Rufai, however that is the primary time they’ve collaborated on a venture. They prioritized showcasing “the perfect of African tradition and heritage,” Amuah stated, “however in a manner that speaks to our common humanity.” The designers labored towards creating objects that could possibly be worn by anybody wherever on this planet however that also carries robust components of West African origin. “Historical past hasn’t all the time been favorable to Africa. And this has been a very lovely alternative for us to spotlight the various alternative ways wherein Africa has contributed to trendy civilization in a manner that historical past books usually overlook.”
A web site east of the Termit in southeastern Niger was the inspiration for the primary headpiece, which is called Egaro and crafted in acrylic, brass, and bronze. Egaro was the location of unparalleled innovation in ironwork beginning over 5,000 years in the past. The fragile-looking but sturdy bronze profile line down the middle of Oshinowo and Amuah’s piece provides it a Brâncuși-esque sculptural high quality and a pointy, up to date look. A second piece is titled Pioneer Futures, a nod to curiosity and the fixed human seek for technological breakthroughs. A ruffled collar made with laser-cut, folded leather-based rests on the shoulders with the choice of a teal-colored leather-based chest piece completed with hand beading or that makes use of the “West African strategy of Tinko embroidery to emulate the African fractal rhythm current in cornrow hair designs,” Oshinowo defined.
Fractal geometry is current in lots of elements of African design, together with the subtle city planning within the historic Kingdom of Benin, as Amuah recounted. Amuah and Oshinowo traveled to Benin Metropolis to attach with metalworkers, members of the bronze-casting guild who’ve mastered their age-old observe, which dates again to 1200 BC. Ògún, named for the standard Yorùbá god of conflict, metallic, and expertise, is the third headpiece. Its design incorporates a molded, reflective visor connected to a glossy collar created from brass, bronze, and rhinestone element on suede. Collectively, the headsets compose a group referred to as Freedom to Transfer.
Egaro and Ògún supply two variations on the face defend, one clear that permits faces to be seen from the skin and one other with a coated floor that conceals the face. “I can nearly see a state of affairs the place, post-COVID, folks will nonetheless generally decide to put on masks,” stated Oshinowo. “There’s additionally one thing good about being hidden.” However, whereas cloaked, the etched floor sample on the visor (which they’ve named Breathe and is predicated on African fractals) permits the consumer to see by way of reflective bronze.
In Lagos, Nigeria, a metropolis of over 14 million folks and one just lately wounded by SARS police brutality and which went into pandemic-related lockdown late final 12 months, Oshinowo and Amuah got here collectively to create an idea that might join humanity at a world scale. “The irony of this case that we’ve gone by way of as a civilization is that, in our collective recollections, this [pandemic] has not occurred,” Oshinowo stated. “The final time that this occurred on this scale was within the late 1910s, so there’s [almost] nobody alive who has skilled this, and it’s made us respect the actual fact that there’s a temporal nature to being human.”
Opposite to what may be anticipated given their polished appearances, these items will not be luxurious objects. “The [African] ceremony of carrying masks was not unique to a specific demographic of society,” Amuah defined. “In that sense, and since they’re so conceptual, they are often celebrated by all people.”