2021, 25×13×22 cm, crushed safety glass collected from the streets of Gothenburg and silicone.
The box that works as a stand and storage vessel is made out of pine plywood.

The masked protestor is an iconic figure. It is both scary and heroic. They are the defenders of free speech or the faceless forces of anarchy.

The Guy Fawkes mask is one of the most prominent face coverings in the 2020s protests. This is a stylised depiction of a Catholic Englishman from the 17th century who tried to blow up The House of Parlament. The plan didn’t work; instead, he got killed by the government, and his likeness is burned yearly on Guy Fawkes Night celebration. So he did really make history, just not the way the way he thought he would.

In the 1980s, David Lloyd created an illustration of a mask inspired by the effigies burned on Guy Fawkes Night celebrations. He created this image for Alan Moore’s graphic novel V for Vendetta and its anarchist protagonist. The image of the mask was turned into an object as part of a market strategy to promote a cinematic version of the story in 2005. 

The hacktivist group Anonymous seized the mask into their own lexicon of props in 2008. The mask has become synonymous with the movement, and it is now also known as the Anonymous mask. From there, it has saturated into many different protest movements, like the climate movement. Guy Fawkes mask can be seen in protests from Scandinavia to China to Chile. 

And what do I think of the use of masks in a protest situation? I guess it depends. If the ones that have legal power, like the police and military, have the right to cover their faces in a demonstration, then why not the demonstrators? When the economic violence that is perpetuated on us has become so faceless that we rarely know who is really in charge, then why do we need to know the identity of every protestor? On the other side, the existence of mask wearers that infiltrate movements to create chaos to turn them violent does not build confidence. Masks are also worn to create fear. For example, The Klan that has wears masks to create an atmosphere of doubt. So, who knows what is right. Maybe there isn’t a point of view that fits all. Perhaps we need to look at this one mask at a time.