Masks can be used for disguise – a way to conceal our identity or as a means of protection. Whether literal or figurative, a mask can be a powerful tool in particular for those who are vulnerable because it enables us to hide behind another persona.
Yet in the hiding there is also revelation: the safety of the hidden place empowers us to explore pieces of ourselves that we’ve been unaware of or afraid to show. The mask gives us courage to reveal that which we would otherwise not share. It is a new and different face – one that has an expression of its own.
These masks have been created by the women of the Warm Zone – street-entrenched women who know all about the paradox of vulnerability and strength, of hiding and revealing. Each mask tells a story. Look into each face and see what is hidden, what is revealed.
The Warm Zone is a drop in centre for street entrenched women. It is one of many services provided by the Women’s Resource Society of the Fraser Valley.
