Personas 111

Book excerpt: Exploring the possibility of wigs by portraying 111 transformations of Cameron Lee Phan in 111 handmade wigs made by Tomihiro Kono. Hairstyles are closely related to our identity; They create both our inner and outer self. This can reflect our personality or, in some way, can hide our true selves. We can suddenly make ourselves look like a different person by wearing a wig. A wig is a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual. Changing how we look is an act of self-reflection, self-assertion, and self-defense.?We live in the spirals of the world by defining ourselves and being defined by others.In Latin times a persona was a mask; today our digital masks have turned into persons that amplify our individual digital essence, letting our fake and intangible identities take over. Tomihiro Kono's wigs are a reaction to our digital society and a way to reclaim our physicality: with his creations the artist and designer invites us indeed to go over a physical, rather than digital, transformation. A wig by Tomihiro Kono is therefore a "mask-thrix" - a mask for the hair ("thrix" meaning "hair" in Greek), a symbol of an existential drama and the possibility of taking up not just one role, but multiple ones. By wearing a wig by Tomihiro Kono you can be anything and anyone but yourself. The promise is alluring. Enter the Mask-Thrix.