Anul Nou (New Year)

The renewal of the year embodies the idealised perfect new beginning which is why humankind has always anticipated the arrival of the New Year (“Anul Nou”). However, the very first New day is already decaying and old with accumulated time and loss. Time rebirths annually, matures, ages and dies. The presence of the Romanian masks marks a necessary process of renovating time and space when nothing is created nor revealed. Their complex ritual celebrates the sacred interlude between two years when one can briefly identify oneself with the truth, as eternal.

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TEAM:
Story by: Corina Andrian
Director/ Producer: Red-Cor
Director of Photography: Nikola Auterska
Music composer: Adrian Piciorea
Performers: Corina Andrian
Cristina Tudor
Lia Marin
Andrei Cătălin Nistor
Alessandro Piccato
Mask design/Costume: Corina Andrian
Cristina Tudor (ritual master mask)

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Traditional Romanian Masks I've sewn between 2020-2021. 

The beauty of a lot of these masks traditionally is that they come to life from the things that surround you. After all, their purpose is to make you feel comforted and protected against all negative spirits. Behind these masks, man has found the power and freedom to express himself fully and speak in a way he might not otherwise be allowed to in normal life. And in a way, all art represents the artist’s mask, not as a way of concealing but as a way of revealing the artist’s true self and spirit. I see the mask as an instrument or a bridge between ourselves and the infinite unknown world past the senses. We only know the world through our senses, what happens when we look beyond?

Their nature is contradictory, playful in the making and serious in the outcome. In Romanian tradition, these masks are supposed to be as ugly as possible to scare away the evil and the negative energies. In contrast, they give such positive vibes and make you feel protected and happy. The process of making and wearing a mask is incredibly emotional as it involves the irreversible process of giving time.

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FULL STORY IN CULTARTES MAGAZINE: https://madmagz.com/magazine/1873632#/page/40 

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