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Human hair in contemporary art: conservation issues and solutions

Amélie Pirotte

Résumés

L'étude explore l'utilisation de cheveux humains dans l'art contemporain  à travers des oeuvres d'art de l'artiste belge Hélène de Gottal. Elle emploie la technique traditionnelle utilisée par les dentellières, ainsi que des fixatifs de cheveux, pour créer des masques utilisant son visage comme modèle. Les cheveux humains sont une matière organique fragile qui est sensible à la lumière, la température et l'humidité relative.

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Texte intégral

Introduction

1Artefacts containing hair are present in numerous collections especially in natural science museums. A typical example is hair of mummies, but human hair is also present in contemporary art. Artists like Kiki Smith, Mona Hatoum, Krystyna Piotrowska, Isabelle Plat, and many more have experimented with hair during their career. In this ongoing study, a specific interest is taken in the Belgian artist Hélène de Gottal, which has used human hairs for many of  her artworks.

Fig.1 Hélène de Gottal's work

Fig.1 Hélène de Gottal's work

3D form consolidated with hairspray.

credit: Mathilde Leroy ©

Fig.2 Spindle lace

Fig.2 Spindle lace

Spindle lace technique by Hélène de Gottal

credit: Mathilde Leroy ©

Conservation issues

2Human hair is a fragile organic material, which is sensitive to light, temperature and relative humidity.

3The most representative problems that occur on the studied artworks are:

  • Lack of adhesion

  • Discolouration of the fibre by UV

  • Triboelectric effect

  • Sagging of the mask

4Other common degradations are: abrasion / breaking / undulation / infestation by lepidoptera and dermatophytes

Research

5The use of hairspray as an adhesive by the artist could bear a solution. The study therefore aims to evaluate the adhesive properties of different hairsprays and their capacity to protect the hair against light. The ongoing research also aims to adapt adhesives which are commonly used in conservation and use it in the form of an aerosol. Additives such as UV absorbers, often used to stabilise varnishes, could protect the hair from discolouration. Adding electrostatic precipitators could help to avoid the displacement of hair by triboelectrification.

Conclusion

6Modifying hairsprays and using adhesives in form of an aerosol introduces conservation directly in the artist's practice. Hairsprays are used as an adhesive in other artistic fields such as pastel drawing. Conservation issues need to be studied. The aerosol technology has already been proven to be a valuable tool in conservation.

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Document annexe

  • Pirotte (application/pdf – 1,5M)
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Table des illustrations

Titre Fig.1 Hélène de Gottal's work
Légende 3D form consolidated with hairspray.
Crédits credit: Mathilde Leroy ©
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ceroart/docannexe/image/5071/img-1.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 128k
Titre Fig.2 Spindle lace
Légende Spindle lace technique by Hélène de Gottal
Crédits credit: Mathilde Leroy ©
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ceroart/docannexe/image/5071/img-2.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 85k
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Pour citer cet article

Référence électronique

Amélie Pirotte, « Human hair in contemporary art: conservation issues and solutions »CeROArt [En ligne], HS | 2017, mis en ligne le 30 mai 2017, consulté le 19 mars 2024. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/ceroart/5071 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/ceroart.5071

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Auteur

Amélie Pirotte

Master student, ESA Saint-Luc de Liège. Study supervised by Nico Broers, Professor at the Département de la Conservation-Restauration d'œuvres d'art, Ecole Supérieure des Arts, Saint-Luc Liège, Belgique. ame.pirotte@gmail.com.  

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Droits d’auteur

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Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont « Tous droits réservés », sauf mention contraire.

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