Vyjayanthimala Silly Hair, 2012

I have been experimenting with media and process in an attempt to loosen up my creative thought. In trying to shake some of these conceptual structures, I have found the basis of some interesting ideas which, I undoubtedly run the risk of turning into conceptual structures. I say this because, what started with a ball of yarn and some rather obtuse reflections on bondage, have become a social commentary of sorts. 


This video challenges the absurdity of Indian 'Temple Hair'. It highlights the simple dichotomy of hair vs. no hair: its associations with femininity, sexuality and in this case, commodification. At the production end, hair is 'sacrificed' to Hindu gods, a product literally given away by some of the poorest people in the world. At the consumption end, bored/impatient/vain(?) Westerners invest in the multi-million dollar industry that is human hair extensions. 


I have used a song by 60s Bollywood actress, Vijayanthimala Bali to draw parallels between cross-cultural ideas of beauty. As much as the next PoPoMo fashionista, I know 'less is a bore', but I am trying to remind us that 'natural-looking' is not natural and a 6-8 week 'investment' is enough to improve the lives of X amount of people for X knows how long.

Click here to watch Vyjayanthimala Silly Hair, 2012