My hair is my identity
Lisa Blake
My Hair Is My Identity/Don’t Touch My Hair invites audiences to listen, reflect, and rethink consent, while celebrating the beauty and individuality of Black women’s hair.
The installation explores how it feels when people reach out and touch without permission – an everyday ‘micro aggression’ experienced by many Black women that carries deeper emotional weight and cultural significance.
Alongside the installation are two banners with a collection of images taken by the group of afro hair, celebrating the beauty, individuality and pride of afro hair and its symbol of identity and heritage.
eclaimed 
arratives
Working with a group of women at OT Creative Space, as part of the Reclaimed Narratives project, Lisa Blake has turned an old IKEA rocking chair frame into a beautiful artwork, loaded with meaning. Hanging from the broken chair are long, beaded, shiny braids, fashioned from plaited bin bags and painted clay.
“The braids are fashioned from biodegradable bin bags, so one day, they will disintegrate and you won’t be able to tell they ever existed – I hope, like racism”
“You can touch the chair, and even sit on it, but there’s a bargain: put on the headphones and listen to Black women from Trafford and Manchester talking about the significance of hair, from schools and workplaces policing hairstyles, to blackfishing and cultural appropriation.”
“The message is that sometimes, the best thing you can do is just stop talking and listen.”
” We listened and sat on the don’t touch my hair chair, and i’ve now connected it with waste. I would love to see more, lots of local talent, a really good mix.”
– OT family
“Coming down today there is a massive line of creatives, artists, food, culture, it what we need more of here. I don’t feel like anyone is left out. You can see the perspective of so many different people and hear more and more voices which is really important.”
– Festival goer
OT creative space 