Hair! Human Stories - Exhibition

Tabitha Moses, Hairpurse, 2004

From intimate personal stories, to unexpectedly global tales about hair’s circulation around the world, Hair! Human Stories explores our curious relationship to hair. Encounter strange artworks made from hair, see images of hair harvests and wig manufacture past and present, and learn about hair’s recycling possibilities.

Curated by Emma Tarlo, anthropologist and author of Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair, the exhibition invites you to confront hair – the original human fibre.

7 – 26th June 2018
The Library Space 
London

Hair Story from Ingrid

My kids think its creepy that I cut off a little curl from their babyhair and tied it with a little string and keep it, just as my mum did with us. Also my mother used to have a tiny ladies purse crocheted out of human hair from some ancestor in the 19th century. We value hair in Europe just like in other cultures but why I do not know! Maybe it contains something of the soul of the person it belonged to.

Ingrid, Female, 50's, UK

#Culture #Symbolism #Memory #Personnal

Hair Story by Zarina (5 1/4 years old)

My hair has plaits and flower, Jamaica colour beads.

Zarina, 5 1/4, Female, UK

Hair Story by Pauline: “Welcome Empress”!

In my heart as long as I can remember I was a Rastafarian…. but was not allowed to practice then as my family look down on Rastas. 

I went to UK at the young age of 14. Always know I would locks. Again me working environment look down on Rastas. However I reach the wonderful age of 40 and though enough was enough, took out my long weave, started my locks, but was so afraid to venture out, how was I going to explain my short little twist to my White colleagues at work. 

After 2 days, I venture out and the 1st Man I met was a Rasta and his 1st word was “Welcome Empress”. I have not look back since…. love me and my HAIR for once!!

Pauline, 57, Female, UK

#Dreadlocks #Religion

#WelcomeEmpress

Hair Story

For Christmas, I gone my boyfriend the gift of shaving off my beard, leaving only a moustache. I had completely forgotten that my beard made me look like I actually had a jawline. Returned to my tabula rasa, I had to come to Jamaica for some time to grow back. Now my jawline (like a push-up bra) has a story for itself.

S., 23, Male, UK

#Beard #BodyHair

Hair Story from Kate

Having short hair when younger. People made assumptions of my sexual orientation.

Diko, Tomboy, etc…

Kate, 31, Female, UK

#Gender #Stereotype

#ShortHairForWoman