Nina Conti

Masks have been part of our global culture for centuries. For her episode of Artsnight, ventriloquist, comedian and documentary film-maker Nina Conti explores how masks allow us to step out of our psychological skins and be someone else - with a little help from her cheeky puppet, Monkey.

Nina joins a masked theatre workshop at Trestle Theatre Company, and explores the visual and political art world with masked feminist artists Guerrilla Girls and V For Vendetta co-creator David Lloyd, who tells how the Guy Fawkes mask has become an internationally understood symbol of protest. She also looks at how musicians have used masks, including the metal band Slipknot, and meets the artist Mark Wardel, who had made a series of beautiful masks of the late, great David Bowie.