While Venice's Carnival is famous for its stunning masks, the Italian city has few artisans left who still make them by hand. But a veteran mask-maker is training his son in the craft.
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00:00 Masks are the trademark of Venice's carnival.
00:04 But is the mask-making tradition endangered?
00:07 There are only a handful of artisans left
00:09 who know how to make them by hand.
00:11 And Tobia Dall'Osto is one of them.
00:15 - Ciao, it's Tobia from Tagi Comica Workshop in Venice,
00:19 and I'm one of the very last mask makers
00:23 doing traditional masks here in this city.
00:27 - Venice, the city of canals, is also known
00:30 as the city of masks,
00:32 and they're among the most popular souvenirs.
00:35 Most are now mass-produced abroad,
00:37 so does that pose a threat to the craft of mask-making?
00:40 In his workshop, Tobia Dall'Osto
00:44 makes each of his masks by hand.
00:46 A plaster cast provides the basic shape.
00:49 He layers various materials into it
00:51 to create the finished mask.
00:53 (gentle music)
00:56 - The first layer is the most important one
01:03 because it will be the most external.
01:05 So it is a very soft paper made of woolen fibers, indeed.
01:10 It's important to catch all the little details of the mask.
01:15 So the more precise you are,
01:16 then the mask will have a clear and precise shape.
01:23 - It takes Tobia about a week to complete one mask.
01:27 Here, he applies imitation gold leaf.
01:30 The 27-year-old originally learned the craft
01:34 from his father, Gualtiero.
01:36 They share a dedication to both the creative work
01:41 and the greater significance of the masks.
01:44 - Working on the mask means working on the person,
01:48 on their story, their inner self,
01:50 their depth, their inspirations.
01:53 So it's about the internal and external world.
01:58 - Many people conceive it as a negative thing,
02:03 so to put up a mask to cover yourself, to be fake.
02:08 Whereas traditionally in Venice,
02:10 masks is exactly the opposite.
02:12 It is to cover your identity, to be incognito,
02:16 so giving you the freedom to express your inner self.
02:20 So putting up a mask is showing yourself
02:23 rather than hiding it.
02:24 - The masks of Venice have a long history.
02:29 In the 13th century, people in this wealthy center
02:32 of commerce began concealing their faces at carnival.
02:36 That way, they could remain anonymous
02:38 and temporarily abolish social hierarchies
02:41 while they celebrated.
02:43 The Bauta mask is a historical model
02:45 that covers the entire face.
02:48 - It looks masculine, but it was worn by anyone,
02:50 men, women, rich, poor, merchants, priests.
02:54 Another one which was used along the long time of carnival
02:59 was the moretta.
03:01 This one instead is a feminine mask.
03:05 As you see, it has no strings, no stick.
03:08 How could they wear it?
03:09 The secret lies behind.
03:14 It was worn by biting this little button.
03:17 - In 1797, after Napoleon conquered Venice,
03:22 carnival was outlawed.
03:24 The masks faded into oblivion.
03:27 Not until the late 1970s did Guattiero d'Alosto
03:31 and a group of other artists revive the tradition.
03:41 - Let's say it was a group and team effort
03:44 involving experimentation and interviews
03:47 with elderly artisans living in Venice
03:49 who pursued other professions,
03:51 but had the motivation or opportunities to work on masks.
03:55 - The masks by the d'Alostos can run
04:03 from 30 euros to several thousand.
04:06 The buyers are carnival revelers,
04:07 art lovers, and movie makers.
04:10 The father and son also offer mask workshops for tourists.
04:14 They have no desire to compete with the cheap masks
04:16 sold by the souvenir stands.
04:19 - Of course, if you're happy with a five euros
04:21 plastic mask imported from you don't know where,
04:25 it's something so different to what we do
04:29 that it's two different tracks.
04:31 I can do something special and unique,
04:34 and I feel the potency,
04:38 the strength of such a strong cultural heritage
04:43 connected to the history of the place I was born,
04:47 to the place I belong to.
04:48 - It's this heart and soul that Tobia d'Alosto
04:52 puts into every mask he makes.
04:55 It's a bit of Venetian culture
04:57 that he wants to preserve for the future.
04:59 .
05:00 you