Labour of Love
(2025)
The Labour of Love Vase (2025) explores the connection between materials, people and place through time. Crafted from the hair of Sanne and her life partner Roger the vase embodies their shared time, a living record of growth, change and renewal. Each strand, shed or cut, was collected with care, hand-spun into yarns, twisted into ropes, and brought together through basketry.
Detail of Labour of Love
Glass, human hair
‘The work reflects our intertwined lives, cultural contrasts, and our commitment to sustainable and restorative practice in everyday life. Hair can be both a personal expression of self and identity, as well as become a regenerative material. Its biodegradable, yet extremely durable and full of character.
Grown over five years and twenty-three days, this new piece of work is a real labour of love. It took hundreds of hours of making, including carding, spinning, plying.... With the yarn, sixteen long, thin ropes were made on our open-source rope machine, each individually trimmed, then spliced, and woven together through basketry techniques.
The pattern draws from Roger’s South African heritage, while the composition contrasts his pitch-black Portuguese locks with my Dutch blonde ones. Whilst data shows hair grows an average of 10-15cm per year and most people shed around a 100 hairs each day, having this materialised across 5+ years makes it so more much tangible and real.’
ON LOCATION
Assemble 2025,
Material Matters
Bank of England
London, UK
Material Matters
Bank of England
London, UK