FADES & BRAIDS
Short Film directed by Amber Grace Johnson for Far-Near Media, S16mm, 2:33, 2020Featured on:
NOWNESS Asia
Document Journal
Museum Exhibitions:
MoMA PS1
Director: Amber Grace Johnson
Director of Photography: Gaul Porat
Editor: Haansol Rim
Creative Direction: Lulu Yao Gioiello
Hair: Mai at Shizen Brooklyn
Makeup: Urara Muramatsu
Styling: Dominick Barcelona
FEATURING:
Emily May Jampel, Pema Dokher, Courtney Yates, Kao Cheng Kai, Jayne Lies, Mar Chan, Luke Bahta, Daniel Li, Dominick Barcelona
Description:
Fades & Braids
For certain pockets of communities, the way we wear our hair is the way we wear ourselvesFrom the first moments we can remember, our hair shapes who we are and how we are perceived. But our first styles are rarely a choice. They are a reflection of the choices made by our parents: whether they decided to immigrate to another country or stay put in their hometown, whether they lean conservative or liberal. These early styles are a reflection of who they want us to be. Their taste is bestowed upon us, and this helps us form our own opinions and identities. But our own tastes evolve through time, developing as we interact with the world and gain more experiences unique to us.
In the short film Fades & Braids, directed by Amber Grace Johnson in anticipation of the second volume of FAR–NEAR, eight individuals express Asian identity through their relationship with their hair. Different upbringings and different personas manifest as each individual sports a style that is uniquely their own, reflecting personal tastes and the impact heritage has had on them.