Human hair in contemporary art: conservation issues and solutions
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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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.
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:
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Lack of adhesion
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Discolouration of the fibre by UV
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Triboelectric effect
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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.
Table des illustrations
Titre | Fig.1 Hélène de Gottal's work |
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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 |
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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