M

2015

M is the story of a woman who until her death, at the age of ninety eight, had never left her small

village in the countryside of northern Italy. Yet her hair travelled abroad, from Italy to China, and back.

In her day, girls used to have their hair cut short at thirteen or fourteen, after which they were no longer children. Sometimes, before these ritual haircuts, they went to town to have their picture taken by a photographer. The cut hair, first jealously guarded, was soon forgotten, and sometimes sold.

This woman’s hair went all the way to Peking, China. Rumours spread about a competition for the most beautiful tresses in the world. Hers won. She purchased her wedding trousseau with the award money that returned with her tresses from Peking. She married well.

M is the story of my grandmother. As a child, I was obsessed with her portrait showing her long hair. However, I discovered her story only after her death, on finding a box with the hair and a letter from Peking.

Inevitable now that I find my hair entwined with hers, I make pictures that rewrite a story of loss as a tale of adventure. Her hair’s journey helps me retrace mine.

Sara Palmieri, originally from Rome, is an Italian photographer whose architectural background helps her experiment with different visual modes. Her practice seeks to discover a metaphysical connection with the world through concepts of memory, time, and space. After a Masters in Architecture from La Sapienza in 2005, Sara took masterclasses with Leonie Hampton, Vanessa Winship, Lina Pallotta, Anders Petersen, and 3/3, among others, and undertook residencies in Latvia and Portugal. Her book La Plume Plongea La Tete won the Marco Bastianelli Prize 2016 for Best Italian Self-published Photobook, and was selected for Encontros da Imagem PhotoFestival, Fotografia Festival Roma 2015, and Gazebook 2016. Her work has been exhibited in Italy and abroad.