A powerful symbol of identity, hair is both profoundly personal yet a universal transcultural symbol that reveals our nuanced understanding of beauty, fashion, health, sex, gender, race, religion, status, and mortality. It is a precious receptacle of meaning. When detached from the human head, moreover, hair becomes waste, relic, sacred offering, or even a commodity. On a global scale, hair is both a tool of soft-power reflecting tradition and regional cultures, and a billion-dollar industry that includes everything from conditioning and styling products to the organic material itself, connecting consumers with scientists, designers, stylists, growers, buyers, traders, and wig-makers across the world.
Join a nuanced conversation in this MoMA R&D Salon hosted by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture & Design and Director of Research & Development at MoMA, with speakers (in alphabetical order):
Dan Choi: founded REMY NY in 2017, an ethical, fair-trade hair extensions company with a mission of bringing more equity and transparency to the hair trade.
Ebonee Davis: a model and activist who is recognized for supporting and celebrating natural hair. In 2017, she gave a Ted talk on her experiences as a black woman in the fashion industry.
Lindsey Day: Co-Founder & Editor-In-Chief at CRWN Magazine, a natural hair and lifestyle magazine that celebrates women of color.
Carmelyn P. Malalis: Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights (the Commission).
Emma Tarlo: Professor of Anthropology and Director of Research at Goldsmiths, University of London. As well as author of Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair (2016).
The presentations are accompanied by a series of 1-minute videos cut specifically for Salon 33.
MoMA Research & Development provides information and critical tools to identify and explore new directions and opportunities for MoMA and the broader museum field. Learn more: http://momarnd.moma.org/salons/
MoMA R&D is made possible by Allianz.
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The comments and opinions expressed in this video are those of the speakers alone, and do not represent the views of The Museum of Modern Art, its personnel, or any artist.
Image: Photo by Joyce Ng of residents of the village of Huang Luo in China’s Guangxi Region for Vogue (2019)
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