Loss (Ball n Tress)

Made from Artists Hair. Hair Conditioner. Hairspray.

‘Loss (Ball ‘n’ Tress)’ consists of hand spun hair-tresses suspended over the roof trusses and hand constructed hairballs scattered over the floor, gathering dust. The work references the in-situ of Salts Mills’ former spinning room through the act of spinning by hand. The Artist taught herself to spin using her own hair. This repetitive learning action embeds itself into the artists muscle memory, building on the years of making. Like the body, hair physically reacts to emotional stress and shock. After the deaths of two close family relatives in the first 4 months of 2024, Lucy spun her grief into her hair. 

‘Loss’  was installed in the Roof Space on the 4th floor of Salts Mill in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, England. Due to the Roof Spaces’ atmospheric conditions such as drafts, damp, cold, sun warmth/light, raindrops, moist air and body movements,  Loss reacted to this ever-changing environment, by being unruly, unravelling, frizzing, rolling and drifting about, becoming fragile, unstable and part of the roof space.