Halloween Pagan Mask-Making with Goda
LeftBank is bringing a pagan inspired mask making workshop. Whether you want to make a start on a last-minute costume, experiment with paper clay and natural materials or just create a fun decor piece for your home, come and participate in these workshops on the 7th and 14th of October .
As Halloween approaches, there is a huge rush to find costumes and, for many, a financial struggle because of the living crisis to even afford something fun and comfortable. I want to bring us back a bit in time to the Gaelic pagan way of celebrating Samhain. When Hallows eve was first celebrated, people hid behind masks and costumes from evil spirits believing that the boundary between the dead and living would sheer during the night. They made masks from animal fur, skin, heads, used natural dyes, clay and marked their faces with bonfire ash.
This workshop draws on these traditions without involving animal cruelty. During it, masks will be made using natural elements like moss, bark, straw and hessian sacks. For more exaggerated shapes participants will also be able to use home-made paper mache clay on cardboard standard masks. The masks will be inspired by pagan designs but personalised in any way each individual would prefer.
