Press Button To Blog - Magic Korean Masks

Strolling through a thrift store I stumbled upon a small souvenir display that was hidden away in a box of paintings with small wooden depictions of traditional Korean masks called "tal". The closest I've ever been to either of the Korea's is via scarfing down bulgogi and kimchi at Owl of Minerva's at 3AM with a belly full of booze. Inadventantly, I'd be learning a few things about a fairly obscure-to-me culture while providing myself with a potentially interesting subject.

Korean masks were traditionally used during war, worn by soldiers and horses alike according to Wikipedia. How exactly, I don't know. I'm not pretending to be a historical expert, I'm just telling you what I know about it now. And what I now know is that Korean soldiers went into battle with some obscure as fuck vision and some badass broncos. They were ceremonially worn during burial rites and in shamanistic ceremonies to ward off sinister spirits. Of course in 12th Century, the masks (also known as Hahoetal) were also of course used theatrically during dances and plays, which could be seen every night except for Mondays on Broadway in Pyongyang, which is where historically the theatre term derives from, as the first Tony Award winners were announced by Kim Jong-Il back in September 3rd, 1113. Nowadays the masks are almost exclusively made in miniature sizes by overly compensated fully-abled salt farmers on their mandatory breaktime as tourist souvenirs for yuppies who need to buy good-luck talismans to hang on their $1000 cell phones.

I got some deep cut references in this baby, don't I?

My original intentions were to visit one of the city's Korean food markets to pick up something somewhat traditional that I could use with my newfound prop. I was struggling to find an idea that would actually pan out into something interesting. Do I just place my masks dead center into a bowl of spicy rice cakes? Submerge them into a glass of soju? Then inspiration hit me as I stared into those wooden, doll-like eyes.

I happened to have some "magic mushrooms" on hand from when I had tried micro dosing for therapeutic purposes (and to be honest, sheer curiosity). In my mind's eye, I was imagining a mystical creature in all of it's pagan-very-nude glory, dancing about in it's mask taunting with glee (a la Skull Kid from Majora's Mask). I knew that these mushrooms visually would add another level of depth and intrigue to my photos with the maze-like structure of the fungus, even if the viewer wasn't under the influence of the mushrooms themselves.

Shrooms as they are colloquially known, have a supposed range of positive effects, including reducing anxiety, depression and PTSD symptoms in some users. Again, supposedly they can also increase creativity and open up a new level of introspection and self-awareness to those looking for it. However on the other hand there are significant risks associated with using them, including the potential for bad trips, disorientation and even severe psychological trauma, not to mention the legality (which depends on the province). Personally I've only had one positive experience with them, and that was the first time I tried a few grams.

It's hard to describe how it feels to sense that your understanding of the world shifting, as temporary and artificial as it may be. And even though I don't recall what I spoke about, according to my wife we talked for a few hours as I rambled through the various thoughts whizzing through my head. Unfortunately I've never been able to recreate that experience, even when using the same amount or slightly more than before. Theoretically I could up the dose until there was a new result, but personally I'm not comfortable ever losing my faculties completely. That to me what be an absolute nightmare. At the level I am willing to consume, I only felt nauseous, dizzy, depressed and unable to sleep every time I tried after that first initiation as a psychonaut. After a few more attempts that never recaptured that magic so to speak, I decided to leave my supply to continue to dry out in the cupboard. Now I had a use for them.

There were limited options with what I could actually do with a few dried out shrooms and some mini wooden masks, but with I had on hand I'm actually pleased with how the photoshoot turned out. Using my macro lens I was able to capture the intricate details in both the fungi and the grooves across the tal. Using some of my coloured lights added a bit more of a sinister feel that helps make everything pop. I could picture this being found in the back of a shop in Chinatown next to the Mogwai.

Since I still have the masks in perfect condition, I'm going to have to come up with something even more creative with them in the future. I might even gingerly force myself to swallow some of those mushrooms again for some creative inspiration. If all else fails, I'll have to figure out how to strap some masks to some war horses. That's be a show I'd pay to see on Broadway.