Finding Yourself Behind the MassQ
What do you think of when you think of a mask? For me it evokes an image of hiding, of covering up and Victorian masquerade balls I’ve seen in movies. I also think of superheros and the transformative power that a mask has allowing one to tap into a part of themselves that otherwise might remain hidden.
The concept of masking transcends our shared humanity over time. It is 30,000 years old and has roots in various cultures across the globe. Roxbury based multimedia artist, Daniel Callahan has turned the ceremonial component of masking and revitalized this tradition into what he refers to as MassQing.
Although many in the Boston community are familiar with Daniel’s MassQ work with the Year of the MassQ and the MassQ Ball 2017 among some of the projects that are part of a larger compilation, the practice of MassQing began in the Bay Area with students from Stanford University. Daniel’s childhood friend, Jidenna (like, THE Jidenna, well known performance artist) majored in “ritualistic arts”. While in school a group of friends that were into indigenous practices and ceremonies created a masquerade bowl that people came to unmasked and got masks painted on at the event. During this time, Daniel was finishing up his undergraduate career at the University of Pennsylvania. After college he decided he wanted to pursue his passion, music, in California along with Jidenna. During high school they had formed a band and returning home from college they were ready to try to see what happens if they pursued it full time. With established connections in the Bay Area they both left Boston for a road trip to California.
They decided to organize another Masquerade Ball and this time Daniel got to experience first hand of how powerful this practice was. He identified the power as stemming from this tradition that people had been engaged in ever since humans had consciousness. Although a practice of disparate cultures the consensus was that as people, we were our first canvasses and body decorations were a way to not only adorn oneself but to actively engage in the formation of one’s identity, and physical mental and spiritual relation to the world in which one lives. This practice had communal and spiritual symbolism throughout the ages and was what they were tapping into, while putting their own spin on it and relating it to the specific time, space and situation in which they lived. They saw the Masquerade Ball as a platform for converging and celebrating the various cultures who are often siloed across the Bay Area by utilizing a practice that transcends difference. The Ball would also be the first time he, Jidenna, and others would perform as a group.
At this point MassQing was more of a ritual than an art form. The group decided they would MassQ for each performance and became known for this practice in the bay area.
Eventually, Daniel became disillusioned with the music industry and returned home to Roxbury. With music no longer being the central focus driving his life he became lost, isolated, depressed and angst-ridden in what he retrospectively refers to as “a crisis of identity”. It was during this difficult period of his life when he decided to MassQ again. Through the process of MassQing he was able to calm his mind and find a peaceful place in which to creatively engage in facing his inner issues, and remaking his sense of self.
The MassQing he had done in California was relatively simple and quick, as the focus was not so much on the art of the MassQ but the community that MassQing created. Now, on his own, he began to focus on the aesthetics and symbolism, creating his own language of line shape and color and covering his entire face augmenting and morphing his physical appearance. The process allowed him to see himself in a new light.
As an artistic experiment and a way to maintain the peace he had found in his practice, he challenged himself to MassQ every day for a month. What he discovered was that it relieved and restrained his depression. The artistic experience kept him at peace within himself. He said that he found himself again and in sharing his MassQing with others it allowed him to reconnect not only with his community in California, but from all areas of his life, reconciling the isolation that led him to MassQ again in the first place. Fast forward to now the practice and ritual of MassQing has blossomed. Daniel has become a facilitator for other people to hold sacred space and unveil the many layers of themselves through MassQing. It has taken him to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Arts Academy, and the Institute for Contemporary Art. Next on the list on March 1st is the Museum of Fine Arts where he will be co-hosting a workshop with Teel Curator of African and Oceanic Art Kathryn Gunsch as they explore the role of the human face in indigenous art-making and learn the art, craft, and ritual of his signature art technique of MassQing.
Curious, I asked Daniel if there was a thin line between cultural appropriation and MassQing, given that it is a tradition that originated and still exists in many indigenous cultures. As an African American male, he recognizes that a lot of the populations he is studying are not African American, and for he himself there is a danger to fall into appropriate. Yet, he recognizes that in art especially everyone borrows things for everyone. He feels that one way to avoid appropriation is to examine the power dynamic at play and treat the influences, history and culture with respect and honor. He said that appropriation becomes a problem when you borrow from other cultures and then are not fully transparent about the influence that culture has had in what you’re doing and you aren’t actively giving back to the culture what you have received. He said he considers his role as an instructor imperative to help people in the space honor the cultures that influence his MassQing practice. At the MFA event for example the Curator of African and Oceanic Art will put MassQing in context and give respect to those cultures. Daniel said that everyone has a different experience in MassQing and giving other people access to it has been an important piece for him artistically and spiritually.
MassQing is a process of unveiling yourself and your layers from within. As you discover your true essence you utilize your body as a canvas of expression. A core component of MassQing is reflection. The reflection is what guides you through the ritual to move into yourself and approach yourself as a piece of art that is not only beautiful, but has purpose, imbued with a certain spiritual essence and power. Daniel recognizes that his perspective comes out of his own experience, using MassQing as a tool during a time of searching for who he was. He notes that the tradition of body decoration in indigenous cultures were often practiced during times of ceremony, where people transitioned and changed from one stage of life to another. For example when adolescence became adults through rites of passage rituals or when men and women united in rituals of marriage.
During our conversation I noted that our country is in a time of great change and transition. I asked what would happen if on a national level we partook in a communal MassQing. First he acknowledged that everyone would have to come willingly. But, if that did happen he thinks it could change the world. He believes that engaging with ourselves and others would have a profound and dramatic effect on the culture and our relationships to each other. It’s not that MassQing alone will solve anything, but it provides a space for deeper connections to form. It is a process to bring people together with themselves to find themselves.
As an artist, Daniel has had to find how he fits into the business world. He participated in one of the earlier #AccelerateBOS cohorts and finds that what he learned there continues to pay dividends years later. As an artist and someone who invests in himself spiritually he found that in order to be sustainable in his craft he had to learn and invest in being business savvy. He spoke about how often people try to split up the business from the craft, but in fact they overlap. He credits #AccelerateBOS for teaching him to unlearn the myth and stereotype that one has to be a starving artist. He recognizes that business is not evil, in fact, approaching one’s artistic endeavor from a business perspective contributes to the renewability and practicality of one’s craft. #AccelerateBOS helped him to organize all of his multiple projects, including his graphic design and videography business Create & Record, MassQing, and “Come On In” a feature film he is directing and producing (to name a few). #AccelerateBOS was the seed planted that is starting to emerge from the soil.
Find out more about the MassQing workshop here:
