This Praxis is brought you by the Ezra Buckley Foundation and builds on the work done in Reverse Shoplifting.

Archeologists dig up and study artifacts. Reverse archeologists create and bury artifacts.

(Unfortunately, the photos taken during the creation process were lost and we will have to make due with pictures taken after the fact. Which is sad, because there were some pretty good photos in there.)

Things italics are lies, but they are lies that are true.

Part 1: Creation

The creation process begins with the clay.

The clay is scuplted into the shape required,

which is then used to make a plaster mold.

and the mold is allowed to soak for a short period before being painted with molten wax.

The wax is allowed to harden before being removed from the wax. This wax shape will be the form for the final item. Any changes that need to be made at this point will be made by heating the wax shape

and then cutting or molding the softened wax. Once the wax has achieved it's desired shape, a frame is built around it, also of wax,

to ensure proper flow of the metal when the item is cast. The wax shape and it's frame is then capture in a large plaster cylinder.

The cylinder is loaded upside down in a large oven

which melts the wax. The now empty cylinder is then buried in the sand

while the metal (in my case copper) is melted in the forge

When the coppter is melted, the cup within the forge that holds the molten copper is lifted using a crane

and then guided over the buried cylinder using a large claw tool

(the metal pouring process is, by the way, extremely cool and I'm super sad that I lost all of the photos I took of it) Once all of the cylinders are filled, the metal is left to cool in the sand.

It takes about a day for the metal too cool down enough for it too be handled safely. Once it is, the cylinders are pulled out of the ground, broken open with hammers and the copper is retrieved. The frame is cut off

and any remaining impurities are cut, sanded, or grinded away

If desired, the copper can be stained to achieve a variety of colors by first heating the item

and then applying the correct chemicals to achieve the desired colors.
Part 2: Mythology

During the process I created two wax items that I ended up not casting and finally casting a third one. Before I go on to show what I did with the final item, I wish to take part in a little myth building.

Within the Masked Society, different masks have different meanings and were made via different processes. Each mask has its own individual meaning and citizens can know each other's intentions from the mask that they current wearing.



Hollow Eyes - used for law enforcement and specifically for the tasks of investigation and peace keeping. Note the lack of a mouth and the featureless eyes, each of which marks the wearer as an individual without emotion or deeper intentions. Always made from wax so that it may be created quickly, when required, and destroyed just quickly, to ensure the objectivity of Hollow Eyes.



Suspicious Gentleman - used for dealings with noncitizens. Note the straight line of a mouth, the narrow eyes, the mustache. Also made of wax, so that outside authorities cannot locate the individuals they dealt with in their second life.

Both of the above are temporary, generic masks. On the other hand,


Delighted Child is of an entirely different class. Used for rituals, it is the first mask that most new citizens will make themselves and it is the mask that they will wear at all officials rituals over the course of their life. Note the wide eyes, the slight smile, and the more ornate version of the Masked Nation symbol. While most masks attempt to be as generic as possible, Delighted Child takes on consistent and permanent individual features. More than any other mask, this could be said to be real face of any given citizen.

Part 3: Archeology
I went down to the Mississippi river to bury my creation, since that's the closest bit of land where I could dig a hole without people stopping me. Lacking any tools, I used a stick and a rock to dig my hole, which I figured only strengthens the opposition.
There are no Masked Nation cemeteries - every citizen also has a second life, and it is the second life that lays claim to it's body.
But citizens mourn like any other human and so the Masked Nation has funeral rituals like any other society.
Lacking a body, the Masked Nation buries instead the older and most constant mask in the dead citizen's life - usually but not always Delighted Child.
Before it is buried, the mask's eyes are covered, to represent how the citizen's eyes are now closed.
Masked Nation graves are not dramatic affairs - citizens are hidden in death as they were hidden in life.
There is usually only the smallest indicator that anything has been left behind at all.