I created this piece exclusively for my portfolio. I wanted to work with cast materials again, and I also wanted to include a prop that tied directly to the theme of inner monsters. In my psychology class, we happened to be studying the ego, and the idea for this mask came to me during our class discussion.

I suppose I have to give the credit to Sigmund Freud here. The use of the word “ego” was introduced into psychology mostly through his work. According to Freud’s theory, the ego is the part of the personality that mediates between the base desires and primal needs of the “id” and the moral and societal standards of the “superego.”

The direct translation of the ego in Latin is “I.” When developing the story for this piece, I figured that nothing represents the ego better than a mirror. Mirrors provide us with unfettered reflections. However, because of external influences, we can rarely see ourselves clearly, which is why I knew the mirror had to be fractured in some way. To add another layer of meaning, I adhered the mirror to a mask to show that we often wear masks to hide our true selves. In other words, “The Manifestation of the Ego” represents our skewed view of our inner selves.

The sketching process was particularly helpful with this piece. I wanted the mirror and glass pieces to jut out at odd angles so that the idea of the fractured self would come across more clearly. I tried multiple designs, some more geometric and some more chaotic. In the end, I felt that chaotic asymmetry was more fitting for what I was trying to accomplish.

I wanted this mask to fit my face exactly, so I started by slathering Vaseline all over my face to ensure that my eyebrows and skin did not get ripped off from the cast material. Once it was dry, I peeled it off and added layers of cast material to the base shape. When I felt that the mask was sturdy and shaped as I wanted it, I painted it with metallic paint. Using hot glue, I then adhered mirror shards and hard plastic shards to mimic the look of broken glass. I was really pleased with the final result because the mask stayed on my face even without any extra fasteners.

The stories we tell about ourselves are among our biggest illusions. We all live in a fractured version of reality. This piece is a direct representation of that self-deception.