Hair-washer district 2012

site-specific installation

and performance - washing people's hair

May-June 2012

at outLINE

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

A building of an art project space ‘outLINE’ is used to be a surgery building of the “Citizens’ Hospital" (Burgerziekenhuis) in Amsterdam-oost. What the history is behind and where the building is situated, these elements indicate a way of how the building could be worked as a public space to serve special experiences to people and activate the area socially and culturally. My approach of this project ‘Hair-washer district’ is to put emphasise on reopening a social aspect of this building for not only art lovers but also neighbourhoods, children and elderly people. More over this project aims to create a special space as a gift for people to enjoy fully the beautiful architectural element, the history and giving spotlights on each of people’s story of life by intimate communications of washing hair - opening senses of seeing, listening, feeling and smelling. Eventually, the project activates the area where to be situated. This hair salon is open for everybody for free to get hair washing. The installation as a hair salon is very simply designed with extract essences of the architecture. Especially, I build a tower for a washing-hair place in order to enjoy a beautiful shape of a dome in a centre hall of the building. All equipment is installed like a barber’s pole, chairs, tools and a water boiler. Shampoo and conditioners are carefully selected to fit with every types of hair. There is a waiting room with many kinds of magazines and newspapers written in different languages.

photographed by Ayako Nishibori

photographed by Ayako Nishibori

photographed by Ayako Nishibori

photographed by Sachi Miyachi

photographed by Sachi Miyachi

photographed by Ayako Nishibori

photographed by Sachi Miyachi

photographed by Sachi Miyachi

photographed by Ayako Nishibori