BORIS Johnson dancing around in a party hat, Donald Trump marched in handcuffs, and Jacob Rees-Mogg held aloft on the shoulders of Michael Gove, these are all surreal scenarios born of Pembrokeshire.
In a corner of the county Bim Mason quietly works at making outrageous facemasks that are used to tell extraordinary tales.
Bim is an expert in street performance and a highly talented mask maker.
He uses these unique skills to make incredible public performances outside Westminster or wherever the next political melting pot is taking place, helping to keep the public’s imagination alive when it comes to the complex geopolitical picture of current times.
Out of these performances comes Bim’s masks, which he makes at his home near Pembroke.
Bim has made over 30 masks of major political players including Biden, Putin, Trump and Johnson.
He learnt the art of mask making under French stage actor and acting movement coach Jacques Lecoq in Paris.
But Bim isn’t just a mask maker, he has extensive experience in performing arts, particularly street performance. He also has a strong academic career.
The 69-year-old set up one of the first circus schools in the UK, Circomedia in 1992. Circomedia then became part of Bath Spa University offering MA courses in circus directing.
Bim has written a PHD at Bristol University on Provocation in Popular Performance, which was published by Routledge in 2015. He also wrote Street Theatre and Outdoor Performance, again published by Routledge in 1992.
Bim said he creates the masks because, being a performer, he wants them to be seen.
“I mostly do politics,” said Bim. “I want to do well-known faces.
“It is important to me they are out in the street.”
Some of his collection includes Nicola Sturgeon, Kier Starmer, Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden and a recent mould of Prince Phillip.
Bim’s next project is to be titled ‘Insane Wealth’ which will star the ‘space cowboys’.
He will be taking Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson to the Glastonbury Festival for a rip-roaring show. Look out for him if you are going.
To see more of Bim’s work go to his Instagram page bigheadbim.
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