Colour splash: Artists ideate on masks

TNN | Updated: Apr 14, 2020, 08:11 IST

Despite the nationwide lockdown, Delhi Street Art has come up with individual creative projects for making masks at home

Despite the nationwide lockdown, Delhi Street Art has come up with individual creative projects for making mas...Read More

NEW DELHI: Forget the baby blue that the surgeons favour or the bland grey and white that industrial workers like. Keeping the rampaging novel coronavirus from entering your mouth or nostril could do with a more colourful effort. And so it is that artists associated with Delhi Street Art, an initiative promoting art in public spaces, are now extending their creativity to mask making.
In keeping with safety norms, there is no gathering of the artists to work on the masks. Each individual project takes place at homes. “We hold virtual meetings to discuss things and share ideas 3-4 times a week,” explained DSA chief Yogesh Saini.

The face coverings are being repurposed from old leftover cloths and scraps and discarded T-shirts, curtains, kurtis, etc. The end products, therefore, add a cheer to the depressive situation with turquoise and gold motifs against an appealing fuchsia ground, busy tribal lines in white against black and happy paisleys in attractive contrasts.
The masks are functionally sound and sanitised before use. “They are all handmade,” asserted an artist. “We have set a target for making 75 of these for the first immediate lot.” The masks are meant to be given to cancer patients and their caregivers, and will be distributed through cancer support organisations that count as members some of Delhi Street Art’s members.