Customer Reviews

Down from the Shimmering Sky: Masks of the Northwest Coast

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was designed to accompany the Vancouver Art Gallery's exhibition of Pacific Northwest Coast masks. The masks were gathered from private and public collections, here and abroad, and many of the First Nations are well-represented with both traditional and contemporary pieces. The book is beautifully illustrated with over 60 color photographs and 100 black-and-white photographs, a few of which are historical images of the masks in their home settings. The photography of the masks is noteworthy as they are all set against black backgrounds and are dramatically lit, so that each is shown to excellent advantage.

Robert Joseph provides an essay that is both informative and personal as he describes his childhood amidst the omnipresent spirits of the masks, his first participations in the ceremonial dances, and his later insights into how the masks provide a thread of cultural continuity that maintains the fragile link between the ancestral past and the tenuous present. He also remarks upon the balance and harmony that the old rituals were meant to restore, and he stresses the kinship of tribes and the interconnectedness of all living beings.

Peter Macnair also offers an excellent essay in which this interconnectedness is explored through the four dimensions of Sky World, Mortal World, Undersea World, and Spirit World. He concentrates on the aesthetics of the masks as artwork, comparing different styles and schools, and also investigating the commercialization of the craft of carving, starting in the 1820's when masks were first made for sale to European and American collectors rather than for ceremonial use.

As an artist, I'm more drawn toward the older masks which seem to have greater presence, softer patinas, and more fluidity of line and form, but it's interesting to see the contemporary work along side of the old. To me, the newer work is well-carved but some of it lacks character. Bruce Grenville says in his Introduction, "Masks are a manifestation of powerful ancestral spirits and are used to make the supernatural world visible." Unfortunately, if a mask is carved for solely commercial purposes and is never used ceremonially, it's probably not going to carry much inherent power nor will it be capable of making the supernatural world apparent. There are contemporary masks here, some carved with great verve and distinction, which nevertheless fail to inspire the same awe that their older and simpler counterparts do so effortlessly. It's worthwhile to explore the contrast though, and doing so raised many questions about art, culture, authenticity and aesthetics for me. Some of these questions are answered by the text but some can only be answered by the spirit. Looking at these masks is a way of activating the spirit, and knowing and feeling something that, in our time, is otherwise impossible to experience. I'm deeply inspired by the wonderful work in this book.