Ritual Objects
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All cultures have rituals through which they communicate with a greater spiritual whole. In the West, there is Catholic mass or Jewish seder. In much of central and western Africa, ritual masks create a connection with the spirits of ancestors or of those who inhabit the spiritual world. The practice of using masks to create culture in rites spans the length of the African continent and the breadth of its history. Though they adorn the walls of museums and apartments in the West, they represent a vital part of the cultural lives of much of Africa. They are actively used in multimedia a rituals as a means to communicate with the spirit world, as part of rites of passage rituals, and as initiation into sociopolitical organizations. An intricate and vital part of the organization of society, masks are employed in a variety of ways to understand and shape the society that creates them.
During these social rituals, masks transform an individual from representation of spirit to actual spirit incarnate, and are treated accordingly. In Cameroon, priests sprinkle ritual masks with water in order to "cool" them down, lest they overheat. The ritual is a creative act brought about not only through the mask, costume, dance, and music, but also through the participation of the audience, the greater social body for whom the ritual has meaning.
In a variety of virtual spaces, people create digital avatars to represent themselves. Before playing the Nintendo Wii, each participant must create an avatar, choosing facial characteristics that will represent him or her in the game. This process allows users to define their personas—the 'face' they present to virtual society—in the same way people create their personas in real-life.
The act of creativity is putting yourself into an object, then separating the object from yourself.
See Also
- Software License
- Ritual Objects
- Scholar's Rock
- Architecture
- Object Oriented Programming
