The Lost Species Mask Kit
From the everyday to the extraordinary. Designed by Lucy Orta, a hands-on resource kit containing life-size pattern templates for creating masks of new and extraordinary creatures.
The Lost Species Mask Kit contains a series of pattern templates of mammals, birds, reptiles and insects that were once abundant in Britain, alongside a selection of animals that were important in medieval lives and culture. Many animals had special cultural meanings that are disappearing from our collective imagination. Lucy Orta hopes that the selected species and the activity of mask making will inspire readers to reconsider their relationship with the natural world and to invent new stories, reflecting on what we have lost and what we risk losing.
We encourage readers to use The Lost Species Mask Kit together with The Lost Species Handbook, also created by artist Lucy Orta with historian Sophie Page. The two resources are designed to give you a brief overview of the great beauty and diversity of some of Britain's animals and their medieval history. By learning about the extraordinary relationships humans once had with wild and domesticated, real and mythical, common and rare animals we can gain a more holistic understanding of our environment's rich history and challenging present.
We all face the huge challenge of the climate emergency: let us embrace our creative power and social responsibility to help shape a better world.
If you would like further information about The Lost Species project or to book a workshop, please contact: sustianability@fashion.arts.ac.uk