Abstract
Hairdressing is recognised as an important and rapidly growing industry in which to earn a living in South Africa. Hair care is an important source of employment for women who make up a large percentage of the informal economy in sub-Saharan Africa. Local municipalities have been working on regulating this economic activity by developing and implementing strategies to foster a workable environment for street hairstylists. The City of Johannesburg’s (2012) informal trading policy proposes that street hairstylists be moved from their informal salons on the sidewalks into spaces with proper infrastructure. This research study explores the role of participatory photography as a process to investigate how a group of women street hairstylists utilise, navigate and shape urban spaces while plying their trade. Using participatory photography, I explore, make visible and express the concerns, fears and aspirations of four street hairstylists, namely Squeeza, Phumzile, Beauty and Nomsa – who are also my co-researchers on this project. The aim of this research study is to empower the participants to express their experiences and share insights through photography. Alongside the photovoice project, I produced my own work as researcher and photographer, documenting the community of street hairstylists and investigating their complex processes of self- representation. My documentary photography focuses on the physical urban spaces in which the hairstylists live and work, capturing multiple viewpoints of inner-city Johannesburg. This research study presents multiple, complex and reciprocal ways of seeing and being seen from the perspectives of different lenses, my own and that of my collaborators. Through the participants’ reflections, engagement and stories, the findings provide deeper insights and empathy, and increased agency among the participants.
M.Tech. (Fine Art)