Ellis Faas- Identity Revealed Filmed Triptych

Born in 1962, Ellis Faas started her career by doing professional photography, and used herself as a model. The Study of photography made her appreciate the versatility of make up and she moved from Amsterdam to Paris to study At Christian Chauveau’s school for make up. Once her studies had been completed she moved to London for some creative jobs and then back to Amsterdam where she contacted Inez Van Lamsweerde. They created the awarded campaign for Louis Vuitton and have work together in various museums.

During a shoot for Mario Testino for L’Uomo Vogue, Ellis got her big break when he chose a disgn from her portfolio as the make up, this pair collaborated regularly. Since then she has worked for many photographers including Terry Richardson, Karl Lagerfeld, Patrick Demarchelier and Jean- Paul Goude, as well as many others. Her makeup designs have also been seen on countless fashion shows such as Yves Saint-Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Chanel, H&M and many more. She has her own brand of make up and currently works mainly in Milan, New York and Paris.   

When I first watched the video “identity revealed filmed triptych” by Ellis Faas I really wasn’t intrigued. It is a very arty way to portray make up and although I love the idea of doing something different with make up, I did not understand the concept of this piece by just watching it. However when I looked further into the meaning behind the video I was quite surprised at how much I appreciated the video.

The video consists of three faces consistently changing with various masks on. These are created with an array of materials from wire, cotton to make up etc. The faces are forever moving, usually engaging in eye contact at times. I think this is what I felt most uneasy about as there is no words just music and I feel you can’t read the expressions due to the masks that have been created. As for the actual make up I do think many of the looks are beautiful and extremely creative but I felt that most of the video I was very aware of the fact I couldn’t read into these people just by looking at them. However when I looked into the concept the meaning of this became clear.

Drawing inspiration from De Nieuwe Kerk’s exhibition, “Magical Africa- Masks and Sculptures from Ivory Coast” she not only intertwined historical traditions but also covered the underlying meaning behind wearing masks. When describing her work Ellis shows that masks have always been used to aid us in a particular way, whether its to help us grab attention or take away attention, whether its to boost self confidence or express power and authority or finally to be individualised or to fit into a mass. She even evaluates further by showing that this isn’t just with physical masks it can also be other elements of disguising such as make up, hair, jewellery and clothing. This really makes you think whether you have truly seen the real person or just what they want you to see. As a Make up student I know only too well how easy it is to cover your flaws and accentuate the parts you like about yourself. It really made me consider that am I masking my true self from people. Especially for women, makeup and fashion is a part of majority of women’s everyday lives, and it takes a lot of time for someone to work down this barrier before you’re comfortable enough to “un mask” your real self.

Ellis quotes “…Who or what defines someone’s true identity? Is it the mask, is it the human being behind the mask, or maybe even the creator of the mask?” I feel like this is totally up to the viewers interpretation as who truly knows. Who has the power to say that the girl wearing the make up hasn’t got a true identity or to presume that someone’s original skin is their true identity. Personally I feel that our identity is for us to know and us to decide alone. For me, I am the girl that wears a full face of make up and dresses up to go down town, as I don’t truly feel like me until I’m ready and I feel vulnerable without this. Yes, this could be seen as me saying its my barrier from the truth, but with fashion I can be whoever I want to be that day, from a hippie to sophisticated chic. To add I think presuming that someone’s true self is what they are born as is naïve, especially when it is a lot more common to find cross dressers and transgenders, as I don’t think they would say their original self is who they see themselves as. I guess it’s all to do with opinion, which is why I love freedom of speech. Learning all of this has truly changed my mind on this peace of work and I feel a lot more connected to the video.

Reference:

Akatasia News. (2014). identity revealed filmed triptych ellis faas de nieu kerk. Available: http://akatasia.com/news/identity-revealed-filmed-triptych-ellis-faas-de-nieuwe-kerk/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Wikipedia. (). Ellis Faas. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Faas. Last accessed 5/12/14.