My Hair Museum by Kibwe Chase-Marshll

STATEMENT:
In the most simplistic of contemporary Western assessments, hair is an organic extension of the body. Though it is often admired for the quality and quantity of its subjectively valued inherent attributes (texture, luster, length, thickness), like height, strength, or bone density it resides far from the domain of the commodity; capable of being bought and bartered, traded and treasured for its investment potential. The contemporary realities surrounding our relationships with hair tell a shockingly different story. Not only is hair farmed, produced, packaged and promoted in a manner analogous to more conventional resources (ironically symbolic textile fibers, like wool and cotton come to mind), its varying degrees of quality are stratified and assigned corresponding market value (not unlike the fur industry). But is this simply the “procured” as “prosthetic” in its cultural and aesthetic function? Yes and no; at times, the wearer’s inorganically achieved hair is treated by both the wearer and observer as “natural”. At other times, its artificial nature is acknowledged, appreciated…even venerated. These responses are often more about cultural positioning and perspective, than about the actual hair. Historically, hair’s ability to communicate gender, race, class, and age has been interrogated with much attention paid to implicit factor of the “haves and have-nots”. What do we make of a more contemporary consideration, because today most can go from have not to have (even to have more) for the right price.

INITIAL WORKS:
Horse hair sensitization in a woman with hair extensions made from horse hair
Annals of allergy, asthma, & immunology [1081-1206] Bagg yr:2008 vol:100 iss:1 pg:A66 -A67

Contact anaphylaxis from natural rubber latex used as an adhesive for hair extensions
British journal of dermatology [0007-0963] Wakelin yr:2002 vol:146 iss:2 pg:340 -341

Synthetic hair braid extension artifacts in panoramic radiographs
The Journal of the American Dental Association [0002-8177] Brown yr:1998 vol:129 iss:5 pg:601

Evaluation of polyamide synthetic hair - A long-term clinical study
Panminerva medica [0031-0808] Palmieri yr:2000 vol:42 iss:1 pg:49 -53

CHEMISTRY OF SYNTHETIC WIGS AND HAIR COLOR - CHEMISTRY IN DAILY LIFE
Kemisk tidskrift [0039-6605] [Anon] yr:1978 vol:90 iss:11 pg:58 -58

DEVELOPMENT OF DELUSTERED SYNTHETIC-FIBERS FOR USE IN WIGS AND HAIRPIECES
Textile chemist and colorist [0040-490X] KASWELL yr:1995 vol:27 iss:5 pg:21 -24

'The World of Wigs, Weaves and Extensions'
Toni Love

So You Want a Weave
The Jacksonville Free Press

Weave epidemic hits community hard
Cynthia Levy
New Pittsburgh Courier 2007

Getting wiggy with it
Audrey Adams
The New York Beacon 2006

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Kevin Merida
The Washington Post 2001

Bye-Bye, Bad Hair Days
By Allison Samuels
Newsweek June 2005

Nigeria; The Growing Trend of Street Hair Plaiting
Africa News April 23, 2003

LOCKS CAN BE DECEIVING IN THE WORLD OF BLACK HAIRDRESSING;
WHAT DO BLACK WOMEN DO TO THEIR HAIR AND WHY? LORNA LAIDLAW TELLS JO IND STRAIGHT.
Birmingham Post September 29, 1999