When I photographed Hair Portrait 1, I was struck by how the subjects' hair covered their faces and yet, they were discernible as individuals. I began to think about the connection between hair and identity, from hair styles that mark one's participation in culture or refusal to participate, to the way hair is removed as a way of stripping individual identity (such as in the military or prison system), to the way hair is used in DNA analysis, etc. I was also interested in Victorian mourning traditions that used deceased loved ones' hair in jewelry and images, a practice that recognizes the staying power of hair. I began asking friends and family to share their hair and made portraits from their donations, drawing and sculpting with hair and using the camera to probe and transform these forms.
