This video was created as a response to a week where I was tasked with tracking a chosen behavior of mine. The 'behavior' I chose was how much hair I pull out when I run my hand through my hair, brush, comb, shower, or just naturally shed on a daily basis. Alluding to the image of stray hairs trapped in a comb, I decided to frame the data in the form of small, squiggly lines peacefully falling on a dramatically long comb.
Each hair is color coded to its either 'natural' or 'unnatural' (gray or white) color and each bump represents how long the hair was when I pulled it out.
In addition to the image of hairs falling on the comb like stray leaves, I paired the piece with guitar plucks. In tune notes corresponded to my natural hair colored hairs and off tune notes drew attention to the hairs that stuck out. This combination of visual and audial contrast highlighted the acute stress I feel whenever I spot a white hair on my head, but the constant fall of the hairs perhaps makes me accept the never ceasing marching of time and how it changes us in ways we don't always expect or welcome.
Process and early data tracking images can be found below. Animation created in Adobe After Effects.
