MOMI trip

The MOMI had some unexpectedly fascinating exhibits, but personally, the one that takes the cake would be the assemblage of makeup feats featured in film. Among the items exhibited were reconstructions of facial masks and makeup works such as Jim Carey's green face from The Mask, as well as the pre-human primate from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Prior to having studied makeup in an academic or museum setting, I thought of these types of alterations as masks for the actor, who, along with the viewer, relies on it to understand the character. These examples don't serve to alter or hide the actor, rather, they augment him or her. This was a revelation in visual media for me. It was an especially poignant lesson, perhaps, because of the choice to have the makeup exhibit located directly near the wall of film stars and famous faces, all natural and human, all colorless in black-and-white. You could tell this was intentional in the stark difference noted between the two subjects of exhibit, but also in their similarities. After taking one in right after the other, one realizes that even a huge amount of makeup only serves to augment the physical features of an actor, and their performance is still singular and important. The makeup only aids in creating a certain realism (in most cases) for the audience. The example I cite is my favorite item of the whole exhibit: the makeup worn by John Hurt in his performance as John Merrick in The Elephant Man. The additions of a severely deformed head and face are the mere surface of John Merrick's character, yet thanks to John Hurt, the audience has no trouble believing they are seeing a man both severely deformed and infinitely complex onscreen.