ties

TIES sets out to explore the limit between intimacy and society regarding hair, particularly the tactile nature of it. As a species, we exhibit an overwhelming preoccupation with our hair or that of others. I decided to add up to the investigation of hair’s interpretations and its tactile characteristics, asking the question: “When does hair go from the public to the intimate?”

Intimacy cannot have a single definition. It is usually defined like one or more experiences of transcendence or intense emotion, and touching hair is certainly one of them, in my opinion; overlapping with concepts such as love, closeness, self-disclosure, support, bonding, attachment and sexuality.

Hair can be touched and played with in full view of one’s fellow humans in a way that other parts of the body cannot, and it is therefore used as a way of expressing repressed thoughts.

Intimacy usually denotes mutual vulnerability, openness and sharing, but it’s still a broad concept that can vary based on the person experiencing it. The gesture of touching hair comes along with trust, consent and even security.

These editorial photos analyse the reaction of hair to touch, focussing on someone’s identity highlighted by their hairstyle, but also imagining disembodied hair having its own life.

Once it is removed from the body, hair seems to have an eerie ability to survive beyond us, going from something adorned to something unfamiliar. –Ella Costache

Photography and creative direction for this Schön! online exclusive is by Ella Costache. Hair is by Michael Pitssillides and make up is by Marta Ciwoniuk and Minji Kawck.