Artist makes carpet made entirely of human hair.
An artist/academic showcased her latest artwork, a carpet made of human hair, at a local prestigious event.
Bharti Parmar was present to talk about the shagpile carpet, which contains over £700 worth of hair, at Aedas Architects, Colmore Plaza, Birmingham.
The piece, entitled ‘Shag’, was made for Aedas Presents, a monthly contemporary art exhibition series that aims to support and promote established and emerging artists, students and graduates from local universities.
The 45-year-old, a former visiting lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton, made the 5 x 5ft carpet from hair provided by wig suppliers.
She said, “I purchased the hair through reputable wig-making suppliers, who provided me with the hair in small bundles that were all 6 inches in length.
All of the hairoriginates from Europe and China and was costly to purchase because it is washed, de-loused, colour matched and suppliers need to make sure the strands are pointing in the right direction.
Hair donated by staff at Aedas has also been used in the carpet.”
Curator of Aedas Presents, Charlie Levine, commissioned Bharti to substitute a green designer shagpile carpet, the centerpiece of the studio, with the artwork.
“I was invited by Aedas Architects to make an intervention within the space and fabric of the studio.
This work stems from the Surrealist tradition of art and the aim is to make us think again of what we see.”
Dr Parmar took nine months to make the piece, using a process called ‘ventilation’, a special technique used to knot the hair into the wigmakers lace.
“The Head wigmaker at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre generously showed me how to ‘ventilate’ or knot a wig.
“The strands of hair are hooked around a fine needle and knotted in a loop within a lace that consists of thousands of tiny holes.
“I spent three hours a day, every day for nine months, making the piece. I spent one hour in the morning, then another in the afternoon and evening.”
Speaking about the inspiration behind the use of hair, Dr Parmar said, “In my research, I learned about the memorial function of hair.
“In the 18th and 19th centuries, hair was used as a token to remember those who died. It is symbolic for women too, for we use our hair to express our femininity and identity.”
The show will remain at Colmore Plaza until Friday 1st June. To arrange a visit please email: aedaspresents@aedas.com or contact Kate Eagle on +44 (0)121 456 1591. Free.
