Designer Sybille Paulsen uses unconventional materials for all of her work, but her series “Tangible Truths” is created with one of the rarest and most unique mediums—the hair of women undergoing chemotherapy. These beautiful, elaborate pieces allow women to keep their hair and wear it in a meaningful way. Paulsen customizes each necklace to the personality of the client, taking special care to get to know each woman over the course of the construction process. Her work is produced catharsis for both patients and families.

In the words of one of her clients:

What Sybille created touched me really deeply. The free flow design of the project meant that my hair had not been transformed simply into a piece of art that was separate from me, the flow of the necklace she created somehow seemed to still hold pieces of me within it. The waves of the hair ... still looked so alive and so full of life. ... Her work touched not only me, but also those close to me here in Berlin who have seen it or seen the pictures. One person close to me even teared up because the necklace still looked like my hair and was a reminder of what it had been. ... I was impressed by what she had produced and very proud to have been a part of her project. ... I love the idea of helping create beauty out of what for many of us is a ugly process: chemotherapy.

If you’d like to help Paulsen expand her services to low income women, you can donate to “Tangible Truths” here.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Via Ignant