On Sunday 14 February Swansea Museum has a free Mask making workshop, where families and children can drop in and design and make their own tattooed Maori mask based on Maori facial tattoos to wear and take home.
Visitors can explore the exhibition, make sketches and collect ideas for their masks. The patterns choosen can be full of meaning, from marking significant moments in life to the simple love of a design.
Moko was chiselled into the face to create permanent grooves in the skin. The face was 'carved' like wood, and then pigmented which could give the Maori warrior an intimidating, fearsome appearance. T
hey also displayed the wearer's capacity for pain and endurance. Each Moko had its own design influenced by the wearer's features and signifying their genealogy and hereditary rank.
This will be run as a drop-in event lasting all day, but visitors are free to spend whatever time they wish. The workshops will be overseen by artist Ruth McLees.
For more information please contact Swansea Museum on 01792 653763.
For more information on Swansea Museum visit http://www.swansea.gov.uk/
