Detangling Our Roots
Cultural Object Exhibit
Parsons School of Design Summer Intensive
Detangling Our Roots attempts to view humanity’s cultural, social, and environmental development through the lens of one our oldest and simplest tools: the comb. The exhibit seeks to bring to light issues of artifact repatriation and identity while simultaneously uniting guests from various backgrounds through shared use of a universal, everyday instrument.
The “Talking Heads” exhibit seeks to celebrate various cultural hairstyles and the tools used to create them by scaling them up and providing information on their cultural and social significance.
Replicas of historical combs from various cultures across the globe hang from the “Artifact Map”. The threads begin from the comb’s historical origin, then intertwine and tangle back to the museums that currently house them. Following these threads back brings to mind questions of artifact repatriation and cultural heritage.
The small “Karesansui Garden” provides an interactive opportunity for guests, offering the ability to comb sand into different designs and leave their own temporary mark in the space itself.
