The Fool
The artistic alter ego
“Man is least himself
when he talks in his own person.
Give him a mask, and he will tell the truth. “
Oscar Wilde
Give him a mask, and he will tell the truth. “
Oscar Wilde
What does the archetype The Fool, the Joker, the mimeartist,
masks from Greek tragicomedy and Butoh dancers have in common?
I see these whitepainted, silent and naïve characters as communicators or guides of the psychological blindzones which exist in ourselves. And as mirrors to society and the individual. For the places we do not yet understand, or find words for.
Neutral and without inflicting any attitudes on us, they simply mirror our situation back to us. The topics they convey are complex emotions and situations
which are difficult for the single individual to either understand or accept.
So difficult that words are not enough? “A fool” is no threat to our intellect.
And this puts us in a position where we are more open to endure what we are
confronted with. We can point and laugh, if thats what we need, or perhaps dare to see ourselves in them.
The lack
of words enables another kind of experience, and can be a gentle way of
understanding ourselves, and to grow.
Why did we have a need for these characters through history? Are they created as symbols representing different aspects of the psychological and emotional function which exist in us? Are they role models? Can they teach us something about complex emotions?
I created an artistic alter ego, a role character I could step in and out from and play trough. As the archetype, my role character has no gender, name or age. It is not a human of flesh and blood, it is a role character without its own background, and which needs to be stepped into, to live. Therefor it cannot exist without an actor or a spectator. And it needs a form of stage, which can be many things.
A camera, a tent, a book.