Barber Shop at Night

 



This is the first photograph that I have taken that I believe could carry some weight to be apart of my project. Last evening (Jan 11) I was blown away by the fog and felt I needed to get out and take some pictures. I walked around aimlessly looking for subjects that insighed emotion in me and remembered something David had said in class, "A subject can be the absence of the subject..." I felt this empty barber shop demonstrated perfectly a lot of the emotions I feel about masculinity specially around the barbershop being seen as a safe place to be as a man. My step fathers dad used to be a barber, and the stories he told us about his hay day as a barber are mortifying. The mysogny, achohalism, and racism the flew rampant in these places back in the day were mind blowing. In my own experience barbershop culture now has changed quite a lot and doesn't include any of these old traditions. There is something about the idea of a hot shave and a haircut that to me insights feelings of capitalism and toxicity. Even though it is one of the best feelings in the world hands down, why did this tradition arise from such bad place that enabled men to be vial human beings. I am also attracted to the hose dangling from the roof, I think it says something about mens suicide and successfully demonstrates the tension around the subject. 

I was also reminded of the short story "Just Lather, That's All" by HERNANDO TÉLLEZ. 

See: https://cpb-ca-c1.wpmucdn.com/myriverside.sd43.bc.ca/dist/b/662/files/2014/09/Just20Lather20Thats20All20Short20Story-1eh00md.pdf


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