Nails matter. In this seminar we explore the nuances and dynamics of co-creation by visual artists and researchers, the history of the global Nails industry, its relationship to Hollywood and the Vietnam war. We will discuss the practical and theoretical challenges to find artistic and research equivalents for political positions.
Together with Vietnamese nail-shop owners, stylists, activist researchers and a Korean visual artist, Research Fellow Pauline Oosterhoff built a working nail shop in a glass pavilion at Amsterdam’s renowned Rietveld Art Academy.
Through documentary video and personal interaction, audience members are introduced to the migrant backgrounds of the stylists while having their own nails done.
The installation is in part a tribute to the 39 Vietnamese migrant workers, many of them aspiring nail stylists, who died in the lorry container in October 2019. The work builds on participatory mixed-methods social science research on safe migration, human trafficking, and decent work as well as research methods in the visual and performance arts.
Speaker
Pauline Oosterhoff, Research Fellow at the Institute of Development and a visual artist.
Chair
Peter Taylor, Director of Research, IDS.
How to attend
You can attend this event in person in the IDS Building (room 100) or join through the Zoom details below.
- Meeting ID: 851 9445 2873
- Passcode: 506517
Covid-19 protocol
We strongly encourage everyone attending events in the IDS building to wear a face covering in corridors and during the event (unless medically exempt). Everyone is also encouraged to take a lateral flow test prior to attending. If your test is positive, or if you are feeling unwell or have any Covid-19 symptoms, please do not come in.