What is Cutz?
Cutz celebrates the intuitive and intimate communication tools of a hairdresser.
By combining experiential art practices it allows an open forum for generous conversations.
At its most simple, Cutz is a temporary hair salon offering free haircuts in exchange for cultural, political & societal discussions.
In 2014 career hairdresser Jason Muir, in partnership with Barbarian Productions, created a conversation hair salon in the lead up to that years general election. There was a feeling that there was a decline amongst NZer’s around having meaningful conversations about what our country stands for or what we want it to be. Combined with the falling civic participation rates (especially amongst youth), social media driven 24 hour media saturation and misinformation, it felt like social divisions were consistently widening. We can clearly see now in 2023 that has very much been the case.
Our salons present the participating public with the opportunity to sit face to face, encouraging active discussion while also promoting the ideals of listening to and respecting each other's opinions.
Cutz draws on the tradition of public interactive theatre to create an open collaborative space where the skills of humour, listening and facilitation are promoted. Cutz is a project that grabs attention with its novelty and aims to stimulate civic engagement in an era of declining participation in conventional democratic processes, as well Cutz is committed to being politically neutral.
Interactions with a hairdresser can be uniquely personal and insightful. The act of a hairdresser being in people’s personal space, the effect of the physical connection of a haircut, allows people to relax and speak comfortably. Our use of the hairdresser conversations has allowed these unique insights to play a significant role in our projects. The social ambience of salons and barbershops also give the project a natural flow towards the dynamic of the conversations and allow for the theatre of these spaces to play out.
We look to use unused retail spaces, open street locations & picturesque settings to create our form of theatre. As well hosting salon based and styled online forums and interviews. This blend of skills creates a unique environment that blurs the distinction between a commercial and theatrical space. It breaks down the barriers that traditional theatre and creative spaces have, as well as subverting the norms of a commercial experience that entering a salon can incur.
Through the evolution of the project we have been successful at gaining insights as to audiences opinions and perspectives, as well as awareness around the lack of accessible resources that allows the population to be more engaged.
As Cutz continues to evolve we look forward to you joining us along this unique hairdressing journey.
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