Masked
SENSUALITY
The Dark Room by Catalina Staheli
KALEIDOS
60
This month unveils a new column in the Kaleidos Magazine: the Dark Room. I was thrilled when asked to do this because for me, portraits are a fascinating journey I love to embark upon. Our theme this issue is an awesome one, that of “To See. To Touch. To Feel” and it was an almost instant decision to celebrate the senses through a look at masked sensuality. There is a power to the mask, that illusion of being hidden, which can help press into effect a sense of abandon, leaving aside the constraints of what is proper and how you would act when all see that it is you.
I think that is one of Second Life’s most interesting aspects, where we can log in and assume any role. You can put on a variety of masks, the choice is yours in how you want to experience this virtual existence. Sometimes that ambiguity helps establish a role of confident expression, or of bold inspiration, or perhaps of submissive surrender. The opportunity is there for us to be anything, our world shaped by the impressions we offer and receive among the crowd of masks.