Hair Biographies

2024 

Book

As strands of hair detach from the body, they become enigmatic carriers of stories, encapsulating the experiences of their host and reflections of their environment. The genesis of this experiment stemmed from cleaning accumulated hair from the apartment floor, catalyzing a shift in perception contrary to the conventional understanding of hair as compost.
        Drawing parallels between hair and archaeological artifacts, each of the eight projects included in Hair Biographies illustrates how each strand serves as a tangible link to its environment and the individual it once belonged to, offering a perspective that invites readers to reconsider their relationship with this often-dismissed aspect of daily living.
        Hair Biographies is a work-in-progress journal dedicated to archiving the narratives embedded within hair. It also functions as an instructional manual, allowing readers to replicate experiments and gain insights into this detritus material.

Strands of Time

Hair serves as tangible evidence for quantifying time, with each strand representing a unique timeline intertwined with the life of its host. From close-cropped cuts to flowing locks untouched by scissors for years, the length of hair refl ects choices made regarding time retained or relinquished. In essence, memories are nurtured and embodied within the passing of time. Each strand functions as a time vessel, bearing witness to the experiences of its owner as it grows.
        In Strands of Time, I delved into the exploration between hair and memory by collecting strands from four friends, each representing a diff erent collection of memories. Participants completed survey slips detailing hair characteristics, grooming habits, and most notably, memories accumulated since their last haircut. Th is exploration revealed an unusual view on hair not merely as an adornment, but as a repository with narratives.

Hair Type

Hair Type was an experimental typeface, capable of stretching across a web interface as users manipulate the scale of their browser window. Drawing inspiration primarily from the idiosyncrasies of my own hair, I wanted to understand its behavior and characteristics.
        Organized into three families, regular, condensed, and wide. Despite their varied widths, all three iterations maintain uniform thickness across individual “strands” of the alphabet to ensure visual coherence. The typeface is then hosted on a HTML site.
        Hair Type’s responsiveness to view-port adjustments is its defining feature. As the width of the viewport fluctuates, the typeface seamlessly transtions between its diff erent weights, dynamically adjusting its appearance. When the viewport widens, the typeface adopts a wider stance, while it condenses when the viewport narrows. Although the alphabets are intended to overlap as it reaches minimum width, does not adapt to alterations in viewport height.

Hair Sketches

This project comprises a series of HTML sites I coded, with the goal of capturing the nuanced behaviours of hair in a digital format, predominantly utilizing typography and foundational CSS to represent hair without showing physical strands of hair. Dubbed as ‘sketches’, these were preliminary experiments aimed at gaining deeper insights into the material. The research-based copy across all subjects offers insights into material’s broader context, not necessarily related to its behaviour on the web.

Just me and my hair

One of my most unconventional binding experiments involved using collected shower hair for a saddle-stitched booklet. The process was challenging, by utilizing eater-based gel and tying ambiguous knots for security, I achieved a surprisingly durable binding to emulate thread.
        Within the booklet, I included real strands of my hair or taped onto the pages. It served as a sort of diary, documenting the top reasons for my hair loss while also serving as a farewell to the strands I loved.

You have hair in your pocket

You have hair in your pocket serves as a compilation of narratives sourced from JSTOR images, each presenting unconventional perspective on hair. I was curious to explore diverse hair narratives, the inordinary stories conveyed as strands are its own entity. Each entry off ers a distinct perspective, challenging conventional understandings of hair and spotlighting itself as the main character of the story.
        The process of researching these narratives was particularly rewarding, as it allowed me to envision hair as a dynamic entity, capable of making its own mark.
        The facade of the book, fitting within my palm, is bound using perfect binding with an exposed spine, incorporating hair bookmark crafted from my own shower hair. Making use of double-sided tape and PUV glue, I layered and secured strands to create a thick bunch affi xed to the spine. This bookmark not only serves a practical function by marking pages but also symbolising a fragment of my identity.
        Within the book, I provided references for accessing the 108 entries through various means: the project title, fi le name, SSIF, and a JSTOR URL. Among the entries, one that particularly struck me was Decade by Chengrui Liu. In his project, Liu documented 182 students in 2006, capturing both photographs and stands of hair from each participant. Over the years, he periodically reconnects with willing participants, obtaining new hair samples and updated photographs, culminating in an ongoing project that beautifully captures the passage of time and the enduring connections between individuals. I highly recommend exploring these projects further for a deeper appreciation of their narratives.

Hair Swatches

This was a documentation of trying to understand how hair behaves under controlled conditions or specific environments, which created Swatches.
        These swatches of samples served as compact archives, encapsulating both the hair specimen and its corresponding environment within a single container. With the help of a microscope, I was able to look in detail, the clusters and individual stands from various perspectives. Additionally, I experimented with how hair was able to imprint on readymade cyanotype sheets, as well as making paper, infused with intertwined hair fi bers.
        An archived sample will always be documented with photographs, additionally, I  placed swatches in plastic sheets for safeguarding. Bound with zip ties, allowing for easy updates and expansion of the collection. Each specimen examined under the microscope corresponds precisely to the swatch included within its pages, a tangible reference for observation.

Hair Tape

Hair Tape is a documentation of my first haircut in two years, capturing an experience I had gradually forgotten. Washing, trimming, and drying, the same memories of visits to the salon when I was much younger.
        Designed as a motion graphic, Hair Tape is a mesmerizing loop, recounting my haircut experience frame by frame. Visuals of embossed images of the footage on a CD disk, with each spin revealing a new frame, mirroring the cyclical nature of the experience.  Additionally, a printed version of “Hair Tape” takes form as strips of frames, exhibiting the imagery of tape playing repeat.
       “DNA Removal Field note” encapsulates the sensation I dispersing bits of myself into the surroundings. As chunks of my hair fell to the fl oor, they became tangible remnants of my identity, in a way, strangers are able to physically touch my DNA, a reflection on the connection between self and environment.

You can find me here

You find me here comprises clues to locations where strands of my hair can be discovered, scattered across the globe but predominantly concentrated back home in Singapore. It invites individuals to seek and decide their fate. Do what you wish with my hair, only if you can find them, but I would appreciate not having my DNA involved in any sort of investigation or criminal activity, thank you.
        The tear-off stack, reminiscent of my lost hair, symbolises the notion of detachment and relinquishment, leaving it to the discretion of the persion who picks them up to determine their next destination.