Intersections Commission #1: Richard Houguez & Rachael Young | August 2014–January 2015

For the first Intersections commission, artists and hairdressers Richard Houguez and Rachael Young researched independent hairdressers in Radford and Lenton – finding out about the way these spaces function and exploring the qualities of relationships between hairdressers and their clients. They visited salons in the area, and are worked closely with six hairdressers to develop a series of objects and performances – revealing some of the subtle and powerful roles these individuals play in their communities.

Rachael and Richard took an informal approach to researching places of hairdressing – responding to the specifics of each salon. Starting with the experience of entering and being greeted, they developed their understanding of the spaces by building personal relationships with the respective hairdressers through services, treatments and conversation. The second part of the commission worked with aspects of haptic intimacy and storytelling experienced in these salons, with the aims of building relationships through mutual interests and listening for difference.

In December 2014, there was a public Hair Consultation – a day of performances and one-to-one discussions at Primary. Over the day studio artists, local hairdressers, special guests and public were invited to share stories and questions, and draw out a collective map of hair, its private symbols and wider social contexts.

To bring the commission to a close in January 2015, there was a walk from Primary to the surrounding salons that have been central to the research, responding to some of the ideas that came out of the consultation and that have been developed through the project. This was an opportunity to see work generated through the project – such as bespoke hairdressing bibs, performances made for individual salons and a zine created in collaboration with photographer Ben Harriott.

With thanks to: Bosphorus Hair Salon, Salon U Damiana, Shayaa, Platinum Cuts, Mario's Barbershop.

The audiowalk developed for the project is available below.

Intersections was a strand of commissions running from 2014-2016 that expanded Primary’s activity beyond the boundaries of the building, engaging with people and places in the local area. Each project extended an invitation to individuals and communities to share and explore specific sets of knowledge, in connection to artists’ research and production processes. The Intersections programme was kindly supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.