A Zoomorphic Day?
October 31st is known as Halloween. I like to think of this holiday as a time to celebrate my zoomorphic jewelry. Just as the masks of today allow you to transform into someone or something else, the jewelry imagery I create often hides or masks the identity of the original character.
It was the Celts, who celebrated the festival of Samhain, a celebration that honored the end of summer and the beginning of the cold dark winter. It was during this festival, October 31-November 1st, it was believed that the boundary between this world and the next was open and that the spirits could pass through the living world wreaking havoc on people. To scare away these spirits, the Celts wore scary masks.
During the Renaissance, the Halloween mask became popular at Masquerade balls. Instead of scaring off evil spirits, the mask was used to hide the identities of the upper class and thus allow them to take part in activities usually frowned upon.
As you look at my Zoomorphic imagery, perhaps you’ll begin to think about what transformation you might make this scary holiday, to trick the “spirits” and keep others from knowing who you are.
