MASKBOOK
Pour la version française, c'est ici.
Maskbook is an international, participatory and artistic project by the non-profit organization Art of Change 21.
The project started in 2015, on the occasion of COP21, in collaboration with Chinese artist Wen Fang.
It gathers almost ten thousands participants, from more than 40 countries.
Maskbook mobilises the creativity of artists and every individual on a major issue: the link between human health and the environment.
This link between health and the environment encompasses many issues, the consequences of global warming, air pollution, pandemics originating from animals...
The protective mask has been used as the symbol and basis for this creative action.
The anxiety-provoking image of the protective mask is transformed into an expression of optimism and commitment to the planet.
Maskbook is truly a collective and engaged work of art, made up of masked portraits from around the world.
A selection of 1000 masked portraits of participants from over 40 countries around the world, are presented in the gallery.
Each mask is a personal creation, made from recycled materials (or very occasionally, made digitally). Each mask-creation is unique because it communicates its creator’s message in the face of the environmental crisis...
Maskbook workshops bring together thousands of participants around the world.
Nearly 200 workshops have been organized in more than 25 countries around the world, from Ecuador, to South Korea, Ghana, China, Kenya, Germany, India, Belgium, and France...
The Maskbook workshop not only provides the opportunity to practice the circular economy firsthand, but also, more globally, to offers a chance to take a first step for the environment, through 'committed creativity'.
80% of Maskbook participants say they are more optimistic about citizens' ability to solve the environmental crisis. 70% of respondents said that Maskbook had favorably influenced their behavior in regards to the environment and favored, in one way or another, an "ecogest".
Maskbook is a universal project, inclusive and accessible to all. The mask exists in all countries and resonates in all cultures around the world: from Paris to the Kangemi slum in Nairobi, from the boats of the nomadic Badjaos of Borneo to the city-dwellers of Shanghai, from Pokhora, Nepal to Quito, Ecuador, the Maskbook experience allows each participant to speak their truth and to rediscover the pleasure of creating with one’s own hands.
Maskbook relies on a global network of partners in the fields of the environment, education, and art.
Masktrotter, launched in 2018, is a project that renders the Maskbook project even more nomadic and inclusive. Globetrotters and adventurers, en route to remote locations, propose individual Maskbook workshops to locals they meet along the way. These Maskbook encounters promote an intercultural dialogue on climate change and air pollution. With the Masktrotter initiative, Maskbook also aspires to develop collaborations with the native people, and is already collaborating with the famous photographer Pierre de Vallombreuse, patron of Masktrotter.
Supported since 2016 by the UN Environment (United Nations Environment Program) and since 2015 by the Schneider Electric Foundation, Maskbook has been labeled COP21 and COP22 and is sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture.
Get involved
Individually, collectively, via special events or during your travels, there are many ways to participate in Maskbook!
First step: Join the Movement, Enter the Gallery
Join the world's leading environmentalists, artists and committed citizens in the Maskbook portrait gallery.
All you have to do is make a mask creatively and ecologically, with your own hands, using recycled waste or even via digital creation. Then take a picture of yourself wearing the mask!
Second step: Organize a Workshop
Share this fun and communal moment that allows everyone to get involved in the fight to protect our environment and explore the link between art and sustainable development using DIY and creativity. A Maskbook workshop is easily adapted to many different settings and the ingredients are easy to find: they are your waste! Look here for more information.
Third step: Become a Partner, Join our Team, or Bring your Financial Support!
The adventure has only just begun!
Follow our news, our agenda and most of all, get involved!
A PROJECT BORN DURING THE CONCLAVE OF ART OF CHANGE 21
Maskbook was born during the Conclave of Art of Change 21, an international meeting of eco-creation, that took place at the Gaîté Lyrique in Paris in 2014, just ahead of the COP21.
This Conclave brought together 21 artists, social entrepreneurs and youth involved in the ecological transition.
Chinese artist and photographer Wen Fang, member of the first Conclave of Art of Change 21 in 2014 and personally affected by the air pollution crisis, humorously thought of the idea for the project: “In China we do not have Facebook, but since we are all wearing masks to protect us against pollution, if we had it, Facebook would be renamed Maskbook!”
Wen Fang still plays a major role in the project: she regularly hosts Maskbook workshops throughout Asia.
Presentation document
Download the presentation document HERE
