Making

Working with artist Samson Kambalu to reimagine these Nyovu or elephant mask from his native Malawi, for his solo show at Modern Art Oxford. Working with a base plywood structure built by the exhibitions team at MAO. First a layer of padding/wadding was used before adding an under skin as seen in this picture, the main costumes were then constructed using Oxford University Sub Fusc as a nod to Kambalu’s proffesorship at Oxford Magdalen College & Ruskin School of Art. The gowns which had been unpicked and repurposed to shape the elephant can be seen in the costume section of this website or here at; /https://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/event/samson-kambalu-new-liberia/  With thanks to all the Ruskin students who pitched up to lend a hand to unpick, steam and hand sew.