One Big Chop
Exploring the many parallels between the processes involved in maintaining black hair and the current socio-political landscape for many Black people living in the UK today, ‘One Big Chop’ is the latest addition to the ongoing interdisciplinary series initiated in 2020, Locks of Love.
Situated in the heart of residential East London, ‘One Big Chop’ features a new, site-specific installation focusing on the position of the black male and the presumptions of gender roles, as well as binary aesthetics within contemporary culture.Charli Payne pushes the possibilities of public interaction by blurring the lines between work and viewer through the use of live performers. In this installation, she uses Filet space to explore the skills, processes and experiences involved when getting your hair styled as a Black-British male within a familiar setting visually referencing a typical Black-British family home.
From creating maps from canerows to exploring protective styles that care for and maintain natural afro hair; braiding, locking and twisting are art forms with a rich cultural history of resistance and celebration. However in western culture, specifically here in the UK, there are connotations linked to black hair that surface and are further exaggerated when considering the position of the black male.
This immersive experience invites conversations about these themes through visual displays, panel talks and a series of performances. Dreadlocks spanning the installation connect to performers, interlocking their minds with the architecture of the space and even grow out onto the street of the gallery.
Accompanying the show will be a collaborative zine edited and produced by Charli Payne, using photography to document the braiding process, and transcripts and prose to document the important conversations that took place during this process, centered around the relationships black males have with their hair.
Payne takes a multidisciplinary approach to creation and demonstrates, not only, her largest scale live installation to date, but also, promotes continued immersivity, conversation and learning through her works.
Art Installation
Performance
Community Engagement
Workshops
Solo Show
