Venice's Carnival masks crafted by new generation

DW (English)

While Venice's Carnival is famous for its stunning masks, the Italian city has few artisans left who still make them by hand. But a veteran mask-maker is training his son in the craft.

Transcript

00:00 Masks are the trademark of Venice's carnival.

00:04 But is the mask-making tradition endangered?

00:07 There are only a handful of artisans left

00:09 who know how to make them by hand.

00:11 And Tobia Dall'Osto is one of them.

00:15 - Ciao, it's Tobia from Tagi Comica Workshop in Venice,

00:19 and I'm one of the very last mask makers

00:23 doing traditional masks here in this city.

00:27 - Venice, the city of canals, is also known

00:30 as the city of masks,

00:32 and they're among the most popular souvenirs.

00:35 Most are now mass-produced abroad,

00:37 so does that pose a threat to the craft of mask-making?

00:40 In his workshop, Tobia Dall'Osto

00:44 makes each of his masks by hand.

00:46 A plaster cast provides the basic shape.

00:49 He layers various materials into it

00:51 to create the finished mask.

00:53 (gentle music)

00:56 - The first layer is the most important one

01:03 because it will be the most external.

01:05 So it is a very soft paper made of woolen fibers, indeed.

01:10 It's important to catch all the little details of the mask.

01:15 So the more precise you are,

01:16 then the mask will have a clear and precise shape.

01:23 - It takes Tobia about a week to complete one mask.

01:27 Here, he applies imitation gold leaf.

01:30 The 27-year-old originally learned the craft

01:34 from his father, Gualtiero.

01:36 They share a dedication to both the creative work

01:41 and the greater significance of the masks.

01:44 - Working on the mask means working on the person,

01:48 on their story, their inner self,

01:50 their depth, their inspirations.

01:53 So it's about the internal and external world.

01:58 - Many people conceive it as a negative thing,

02:03 so to put up a mask to cover yourself, to be fake.

02:08 Whereas traditionally in Venice,

02:10 masks is exactly the opposite.

02:12 It is to cover your identity, to be incognito,

02:16 so giving you the freedom to express your inner self.

02:20 So putting up a mask is showing yourself

02:23 rather than hiding it.

02:24 - The masks of Venice have a long history.

02:29 In the 13th century, people in this wealthy center

02:32 of commerce began concealing their faces at carnival.

02:36 That way, they could remain anonymous

02:38 and temporarily abolish social hierarchies

02:41 while they celebrated.

02:43 The Bauta mask is a historical model

02:45 that covers the entire face.

02:48 - It looks masculine, but it was worn by anyone,

02:50 men, women, rich, poor, merchants, priests.

02:54 Another one which was used along the long time of carnival

02:59 was the moretta.

03:01 This one instead is a feminine mask.

03:05 As you see, it has no strings, no stick.

03:08 How could they wear it?

03:09 The secret lies behind.

03:14 It was worn by biting this little button.

03:17 - In 1797, after Napoleon conquered Venice,

03:22 carnival was outlawed.

03:24 The masks faded into oblivion.

03:27 Not until the late 1970s did Guattiero d'Alosto

03:31 and a group of other artists revive the tradition.

03:41 - Let's say it was a group and team effort

03:44 involving experimentation and interviews

03:47 with elderly artisans living in Venice

03:49 who pursued other professions,

03:51 but had the motivation or opportunities to work on masks.

03:55 - The masks by the d'Alostos can run

04:03 from 30 euros to several thousand.

04:06 The buyers are carnival revelers,

04:07 art lovers, and movie makers.

04:10 The father and son also offer mask workshops for tourists.

04:14 They have no desire to compete with the cheap masks

04:16 sold by the souvenir stands.

04:19 - Of course, if you're happy with a five euros

04:21 plastic mask imported from you don't know where,

04:25 it's something so different to what we do

04:29 that it's two different tracks.

04:31 I can do something special and unique,

04:34 and I feel the potency,

04:38 the strength of such a strong cultural heritage

04:43 connected to the history of the place I was born,

04:47 to the place I belong to.

04:48 - It's this heart and soul that Tobia d'Alosto

04:52 puts into every mask he makes.

04:55 It's a bit of Venetian culture

04:57 that he wants to preserve for the future.

04:59 .

05:00 you

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