Looking Behind The Mask
Have you ever seen a group of young people hanging around the street with their hoods up, and felt intimidated or afraid? Perhaps you’ve walked quickly past them with your head down, or even crossed the street to avoid them?
A Truth Team of young people from Willows High School has completed an impressive piece of artwork called Behind The Mask. The piece is about taking the iconic image of the “hoodie” – an image which is so often seen in the papers; an image that, for many people, evokes fear - and inviting people to look behind the hood and the scarf, at the person underneath.
A common theme identified by many of the young people we work with has been the idea that they sometimes feel victimised and alienated in their communities, because of the way that they dress. Some have identified that people cross the road to avoid them when they are wearing their hoods, largely because the hood – a simple piece of clothing designed for warmth – now has the dubious honour of being a symbol for “social menace”. The artwork has been on display in Splott Library for the past month, and has attracted a great deal of attention from the general public.
“The artwork has caused quite a stir... in a good way!” says Fran Murphy, senior librarian at Splott Library. “A lot of people took interest in the work and wanted to have a chat about it.” The group invited members of the public to leave comments, and many people have given their thoughts on the work. One member of the public left an anonymous note that read: “Bold and brilliant! It’s a striking image with real content behind it. Hopefully it’ll dispel some of the lazy stereotypes associated with young people. Good work!”
Truth About Youth will be donating the artwork to Splott Library permanently to say thanks for all their support with the project. You can see the artwork at the library in the STAR Centre; just ask a member of staff!
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