Arts

Hair: Untold Stories at the Horniman Museums

19 June 20221 Mins read409 Views

Georgia Raye

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Unfortunately working in a school meant the only time I had free to visit The Horniman Museum and Gardens was during the half term and it seemed to me that I managed to visit on the very day that every parent in London had also decided to take their child. No doubt the museum is the perfect day out for children as it’s collection contains all sorts of oddities that are sure to keep them enraptured and the gardens provide the perfect place to explore. I had visitied specifically to see the Hair: Untold Stories exhibition, which was curated in partnership with Emeritus Professor of Anthropology Emma Tarlo and Goldsmiths, University of London and let me say I was not disappointed. There were such a wide variety of responses to Hair…

This image was inspired by bell hooks text “Eating the Other” it’s a photograph of a black man eating twirling a dreadlocks onto his fork ready to devour as though they were a pile of spaghetti. The idea is that, ‘cultural and racial capitalism devour racialised bodies’ to quote bell hooks’, ‘ethnicity becomes spice, seasoning that can liven up the dull dish that is mainstream white culture.

In the Hindu Tradition, Bengali brides wear their hair in a large bun topped with a crown and veil which serve to honour the goddess, Durga.

They also had a life size black hair shop, opening the different jars and bottles and inhaling deeply unlocked teenage memories of slathering my hair in blue magic before school.