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STUDIO SWINE - Hair Highway
Hair Highway is a contemporary take on the ancient Silk Road. As the world’s population continues to increase, human hair has been re-imagined as an abundant and renewable material, with China being the biggest exporter of human hair.
By combining hair with a natural resin, Studio Swine has created a composite material that provides a sustainable alternative to the planet’s diminishing natural resources with an aesthetic that evokes the palettes of tortoiseshell and a grain resembling that of polished horn or exotic hardwoods. The result is a unique collection of exquisite objects inspired by the 1930’s Shanghai-deco style.
The film documents the hair trade and industry in the Shandong province of China. Following the journey of the material from the people who sell their hair through to the hair merchants, markets and factories. To finally end up in a collection of highly decorative objects created by Studio Swine.
Director / Camera: Juriaan Booij
Project: Studio Swine
Produced: Pearl Lam Galleries
Edit: Sally Cooper at Cut & Run
Music: Titus Twelve – Grow Chart
Filmed on location in Shandong province, China
www.studioswine.com
Hair Highway featured on National Geographic