Art installation features murals of East Villagers in self-made masks

A new art installation reflects 13 community members in the East Village wearing masks they created during a workshop with artist Katie Green, on murals throughout the East Village.

The East Villagers posed in various spaces around the area and were photographed for the exhibit titled Bridge.

The eye-opening public art installation will be on display along RiverWalk — throughout the East Village — for three years.

"They're kind of shocking at first," Green told The Homestretch.

"I think when people see them they're just like 'What is this?' But when they stop and show curiosity about the project then they get to learn about the stories of each participant and what's behind each image."

So why masks?

"Masks are a really incredible tool to explore the self, and that's what this whole project is about," she said.

"It's about how embodying a different character or being someone else for a moment can actually help an individual share an aspect of their story."

Green said she wanted to find a way to incorporate the many different community groups and pockets of people she saw within the community.

"I wanted to think of a way to get a bunch of people from different walks of life in a room together sharing conversation and listening to each other's stories," she said.

"So that was a whole draw behind including all of these different groups and what kind of stories have you heard. So many I mean there's been tears and laughs and all of the things like you know some people chose their masks because it reminded them of their childhood. You know other people chose their masks because it actually reminded them of something quite challenging. And so all range of emotions were invited into that space."

Participants are all authentic East Villagers, like Harry, who works at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope, and says he chose his mask because it represented life's pains and sorrows.

For Tazim, masks reminded her of her childhood in Tanzania, and the exercise helped her understand how she views herself — and how she thinks others view her.

This exhibit is different from what Green usually does, which is painting directly on surfaces, or creating puppets with Old Trout Puppet Society.

"This is actually photographs of each participant in their mask, as it related to their story," Green said.

"So it's a combination of wheat pasting and paint, so the front surfaces will have paper images pasted on, and then the sides are kind of painted to integrate."

Green said the public reaction has been wide-ranging.

"I have had people drive by, "I just, like, I hate this!" but then I've had people stop and bring their kids and take photographs, and that's what you're going to get, all of the reactions, and I kind of welcome them all because that's what's fun about making art in a public place."

Bridge is the fourth installation in the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation effort to beautify the public spaces around the city through a program called Art in the Public Realm.