Haircuts by Children
Haircuts by Children" is exactly what it sounds like: a group of children, trained by professional hairdressers in a crash course, runs a hairdressing salon and offers the opportunity for a free haircut of a different kind to anyone interested. The idea of allowing children a go at our heads with a sharp object is a terrifying thought for many. Trusting a child and giving them control is not foreseen in our society. But if we assume that children can cut our hair and we can trust their aesthetic judgment and their technical abilities, then why can’t these children also vote or exercise other civil rights which they are currently deprived of until they come of age? In addition to haircutting, Haircuts by Children also offers the opportunity to experience something rare in everyday life: the encounter between children and adults who do not know each other.
Accept the invitation of Mammalian Diving Reflex into the Hairstyleparadies Franz & Gloria to an interactive performance about unusual hair cuts, personal vanities, inverted power relations, and trust.
In their performances and actions, the Canadian collective Mammalian Diving Reflex has been working for years to break through those barriers that confront us in our daily lives, be they attributes such as age, gender, nationality, and class. Mammalian Diving Reflex collaborate in their work with people of diverse origins, creating the possibility for them to interact intimately; without this opportunity, they would have never even met. For their „ideal entertainment for the end of the world“ (as defined by themselves), they create children’s jurors at the most important theatre festivals; organize night walks with teenagers; make strangers dance with each other; organize club nights with elementary school DJs.
Concept: Darren O'Donnell
Production: Eva Verity, Jenna Winter
Please Note: To arrange a hairdressing appointment for a free haircut, please contact service@festwochen.at on or after 2 May 2017. People who do not want to have their hair cut are cordially invited to drop by at the salon.