‘Forever Near’ - Hairwork history and techniques (Gates of the Abode)

Gates of the Abode - A season of talks and workshops on death, departure and the unseen at Abney Park. This lecture is part of the Tales of Departure series.

‘Forever Near’ - Hairwork history and techniques

Hairwork is the almost forgotten craft of manipulating human hair into decorative designs for jewellery or artwork. Some are purely ornamental, others are for commemoration, but are imbued with meaning, folklore and ritual significance.

Today, there are only a handful of artisans who continue to practice traditional hairwork worldwide. However, until the late nineteenth century, disembodied hair was regarded as a very precious material, with hairwork being a cherished folk art of the middle and upper classes. 

Abney Park itself is part of this story. As one of the Magnificent Seven — the large, private garden cemeteries opened between 1830 and 1841 to ease overcrowding in London's inner-city churchyards — Abney Park drew the dead further from their families than ever before. Hairwork offered a solution, allowing the living to keep a loved one close; a hair lock was seen as a portable human relic, maintaining an earthly bond with the departed within the process of mourning. 

Join us for a lecture exploring four distinct hairwork techniques from the Georgian and Victorian eras, examining their applications for the deceased, the living, or both, and the cultural contexts that shaped them.

(Ticket price includes a glass of wine or juice.)

Biography: 

Alessandra Curtis is a British-Italian folklorist, with a background in archaeology, driven by a passion for material culture and London history. Drawing on a wealth of social history and curious details, she explores the forgotten meanings attached to everyday items that tell stories of ordinary people, often overlooked in conventional records.

Meeting point:
Please meet at the Harriet Delph room, next to the cafe, at the Stoke Newington High Street entrance.
Please arrive 10 - 15 minutes before the start time of 7:00pm.

Access information:
The Harriet Delph room is located next to the Abney Park Cafe.
There is level access at the High Street entrance to Abney Park.
Accessible toilet facilities are available.