What can you say of a woman, who suffered from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), but found solace in following her passion of making masks? Unbelievable, to say the least. It was the richness and therapeutic nature of textiles that provided a welcome distraction to her from this disorder.
Her name is Magnhild Kennedy, who identifies herself on her website and the Instagram page as Damselfrau. One look at her mask creations is enough to tell that she’s in a league of her own. According to her, she started working with masks after she moved to London. It was the glamour and flamboyance of London’s club scene that offered her an opportunity to display her craftsmanship. She soon got down to creating masks for partying.
Damselfrau never attended any art school, but has a rich artistic background, since both her parents are minimalistic artists. She gets her inspiration for mask-making from women. According to her, she doesn’t plan anything, nor does she draw, she just goes about making intricate embroidery masks, embellished with lots of beads.
Damselfrau displays natural ease in creating her masks, using everyday stuff. However, she has also used fine lace that was carried by Camilla Collett, a 19th Century Norwegian author and hair from the hairpiece of 200-year-old Japanese geisha! She can take a few days to complete a single mask.
About her masks, she says, “I don’t make them as a design object, I make them as a person, so they get photographed and get a name and are put out on the web.”
Magnhild Kennedy: Website | Instagram