Yu Shu

This piece takes as its starting point a traditional dianzi headdress worn in Beijing opera, particularly one associated with the daomadan, the roles of female warriors. This headdress is distinguished by its elaborate featherwork, combining kingfisher feathers (dian cui), long pheasant feathers and pom-poms. I was particularly interested in the dialogue this headdress establishes between its ornamentation and the wearer’s hair, whose traditional styling features two imposing high buns and a fringe-like arrangement at the front.

Fascinated by the pom-poms, I imagined them proliferating until they engulf the entire head and completely replace the hair. This transformation extends the principle of exaggeration in form, volume and colour that characterises the stylisation of Beijing opera. Growing to excessive proportions, the pom-poms appear to escape all control, giving the headdress an exuberant, expansive presence.
The colour palette echoes that of the traditional dianzi headdress, the turquoise gradient evoking the shifting iridescence of its kingfisher feathers.