Hair Highway

Studio SWINE is a collaboration between Japanese architect Azusa Murakami and British artist Alexander Groves. Their projects and videos explore the themes of regional identity and the future of resources in the context of globalization. Hair Highway is an imaginative project looking at China as the world’s largest importer of tropical hardwood and biggest exporter of human hair. The documentary asks the unprecedented question: What if you could use human hair as an alternative to diminishing natural materials?

The stunning short film documents the global hair industry in Shandong province, but also reveals the possibility of creating objects by combining human hair with a natural resin, which reveals human hair’s potential to be turned into sustainable, handcrafted and highly decorative items. The film is a beautifully executed and thought-provoking look at China’s controversial relationship with its natural environment, whilst also drawing attention to its history of producing unique, original, artisan craft.

By combining these unlikely matched components, Studio SWINE has created a composite material that provides a sustainable alternative to diminishing natural resources. The outcome is a selection of elegant household pieces; their design evokes the palettes of tortoiseshell and a grain resembling that of polished horn or exotic hardwoods that are inspired by the 1930’s Shanghai-deco style.

Neocha Selects is a curated selection of some of the most inspiring and innovative video content from Asia. To see more stories like this, click here. To see original Neocha videos, click here.

Website: studioswine.com
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Instagram: @studio_swine
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Contributor: Ruby Weatherall