Hair Woensel Research booklet

Hair Woensel Design for debate: Research report

Lucas Teixeira & Shay Raviv

Index I Research proposal II Mind map III Expectations & Preparations IV First impressions of Woensel V Oprah hair salon VI Observation report VII Discussion VIII Pictures IX Infographics X Rethinking & Questioning XI Collecting Stories XII Reactions & Reflections XIII Conclusion

I Research Proposal How can hair styles/hair salons reflect the society of Woensel?

Wednesday morning , we left the cozy center of Eindhoven, for a closer look at Woensel. Driving around the city, Â we were looking for distinguished details, interesting spots, particular characteristics.

We were visiting the area’s shopping center, where there could be interesting happenings.  In one of the smaller shopping center, we noticed a lively hair saloon, with strong colors , noticeable interior and nice characters. We had a talk with the hair dresser, and found this an interesting staring point.

We realized that about twenty meters away, in this small center, there are two hair salons.

In the bigger center, one could find not less the four different hairdressers.

This meant for us, that there is a high demand for hairdressers, and many of activities are involved.

Therefore a lot of information could be found by looking closer into this hair saloons and hair styles at Woensel.

What kind of information are we looking to find?

After a brainstorm, we came up with a few directions that we find interesting.

1. Society through hair styles Looking at the customers of the hairdressers, their age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, frequency, social status. We think the hair style could tell a lot about the people of the area, what interest them, how the identify themselves. For example, do they prefer their hair natural or more manipulated? From this direction, we could search for a visual identity for the place.

2. Hair dresser as social centre What kind of stories are told there? Gossip? Relationship between the customers and the employees, and the customers with each other. Is there a neighborly feeling their? What kind of interactions take place there?

3. City context How can hair styles give information about the city? Â Weather , the employment , the demographics, the social economic data? Ethnographic information could be very visual by looking at the hair styles and head covers.

4. Profession & place What are the guidelines of the profession? What are the skills needed? Tools? Daily routine? Education? Â Where is the hairdresser from?

Local or outsider?

How does the place look like? Interior, colours? Which materials are used? What is the different between Woensel hair salons themselves, or compared with Eindhoven ones?

We believe hair styles and hair saloon could be a key for learning more about Woensel, by visualizing the data we discover, we could contribute to the visual identity of the place.

II Mind Map 1st of May of 2013

III Expectations & Preparation Going back to the mind map and research question.

Before we went to do the observation and interview, we had another talk about our research topic. We tried to focus on what kind of information are we looking to find, what would be the right way to approach this day, and how do we prepare ourselves.

To narrow down our point of view, we deleted the topic “Profession�, from the technical aspects, or the skills that are needed for the hairdresser. We realized that this kind of information is less interesting or relevant. As well the hair saloon as a space is less interesting (furniture, structure).

We defined two directions we want to look into: The stories of the hair saloon, and the perception of community. Is it indeed a place where personal stories are told? Gossip? How is the relationship between the hairdresser and client? What opinions are there about Woensel as a community? How is it perceived by the inhabitants and by outsiders?

Second, is about the inhabits of Woensel through the clients of the hair salon. Which kind of customers are there? Gender? Ethnicity? Age? How frequent do they come? Are they regular customers? What can we learn about the neighborhood through the clients of the hair saloon?

How are we going to collect this information?

Methods

Cold information: We will try to collect as much as hard facts, data as possible. By doing observation, and asking the hairdresser questions about the clients and the work itself.

For example: how long is every treatment, how many clients a day, percent of man/woman.

Warm information: While spending time there, we will try to make conversation with the clients and the hairdresser, ask them about the work, their origin, the interaction in the hair salon.

We will look for interesting stories to continue farther.

IV First Impressions of Woensel 8th of May of 2013

General impression

We arrived in “Woensel Winkel Shopping Centrum� (WOENSXL) around 12:30 (9th of May of 2013) and decided to walk around and register the overall atmosphere of the place to get the a glance of the identity of Woensel.

The hairy creature

The first inhabitant that caught our attention was dressed in pink and was quiet harry. She was sitting on a baby car and we couldn’t resist to ask her owner to take her some pictures - after all, she was a cute dog.

Despite our love for this truly hairy creature we moved on in direction to “Oprah” hairdresser with the kind of calm of those who cycled a long way and feel their legs tired.

Atmosphere We took some pictures of people we saw in the streets and discussed their looks and their actions.

We tried to capture through the lenses a community that seemed not so different than the one we can find in Eindhoven, but different enough to catch our attention.

People wear more colors, there are more kids in the streets, it is possible to see old people sitting and chatting together and hair styles appear sober and not that proud.

The way people move contrasts with the rush of any big city and the way they communicate suggests the feeling of a small neighborhood.

Lunch at McDonald’s While ordering we notice next to us a Portuguese couple ordering.

It seemed like a good excuse to start a conversation. As soon as we finished our meal we approached them as asked if we could ask them some questions.

They had the kindness of curious people - full eyes of who is eager to help and interested in us as we were in them. Their names Ana Filipa and JoĂŁo.

(From left to right)

Woensel McDonald’s

Ana Filipa

João

IV.I A talk with Ana and João

Ana Filipa and João are living in the Netherlands for 6 years, working in logistics (DHL). They don’t speak Dutch, speak English at work all the time. 6 years ago they decided to come to Netherlands because of the open mind attitude, they were enchanted by sex, drugs and freedom.

expensive hairdressers talk more with you that cheap ones. He tells us that the difference you get by paying more is not that much about the haircut but more about the experience. He compares Marky with the Turkish hairdresser and makes it clear that Marky is more about the experience and the Turkish about the price and the job (he doesn’t even speak English, Now that they experienced all that, they are not that he adds). He doesn’t find any connection between excited anymore. Woensel has a lot of young people, the him and this Turkish hairdresser. They do their much more than in Portugal - they say. job quick, they charge you less money and then you are done.

They go out and party in the centrum of Eindhoven with friends that they got to know through work “There is a big clash between cultures, mainly. They told us that the hair is important to define a person status, and that they really feel people emigration and ethnicity.” give importance to that. When asked if they were going to hairdressers in the Netherlands they re- João explain us that in Eindhoven there is a big clash plied that they did and that they did go to “top hair- between cultures/emigration/ethnicity. He makes it dressers” like “Kinky”, “Pop Kappers” (Hair salons in clear there is a big hypocrisy because Dutch people that get to know him well talk about other emigrants Eindhoven). with despise, what makes him think they thought the same about him in the beginning. He feels that peo“We have a very good relation with ple don’t like emigration despite in his opinion the Marky, our hairdresser. He is amazing!” emigration is what makes the Netherlands boom. He tells us “there are 6 millions of Dutch, there are 16 Ana says she fell in love with him, João says he is re- millions on this country, so it is all foreigners”. ally artistic and he is gay, more than crazy, “fashion forward”. They are clearly amazed by his job they see He tells us that the Turkish hairdresser has a lot of him as an artist. foreign clients (polish, Spanish, Portuguese). He goes there “as a man” because he doesn’t care too much Ana was working in hair dressers in the area some about his haircut, he considers it always looks the years ago but the language was a barrier. She was same and you just pay less. We asked if he considers working there on Saturdays but then the salon closed cutting his hair an experience or a necessity “to get and she didn’t work in that field any more. She knows it over with”. When he pays a lot he feels he is having and likes hairdressing. She explained it was Marky an experience, he feels that that is high fashion. If he who cut her hair, she is very happy with it. We asked goes to cut his hair “normal” for 14 euro he feels like Ana if she uses to speak with her hairdresser when a sheep, that needs to be shaved once in a while. cutting her hair. “Last time I went to the hairdresser I spoke with Marky, 3 hours!” , we all laugh. Marky Shay asks if they think there is some sort of role uses to explain some things to Ana, to teach her, af- model for hair fashion in the area. João replies “hipter all, they are now friends. João explained us that hop for sure, for sure! Holland is americanized like

hell”. Ana adds “they copy a lot!”. João keeps on going - “we all live in America, they are all americanized”.

“[...] There is no specific hair-dress of Woensel.”

He moves on to tattoos, he has his left arm covered with a tattoo he made in “Dragon tattoo” in the center of Eindhoven. That also got our attention as a way to visualize the city through stories. Ana takes tattoos more seriously, she will only do a tattoo when she gets a strong reason for it.

Concentrated in one place and are easier to control for example. We ask if they easily eat out and they tell us that even with the wages they get it is really expensive to go out, they are able to spend 50 euro each in one night easily partying or in a restaurant.

João talks about the clash between the Muslim community and the Dutch community. He believes that religious will end soon, both him and her were educated in a very religious way. He still remembers a song he heard in the church that said “Do what I told you and I will be your friend”. He completely despises this sentence and doesn’t believe that Jesus would say such a thing.

We direct the conversation back to hair dressing. We agree with them that there is no specific hair dress of Woensel. But about specificity João explains us that in the Netherlands everything has a specific place, there is a street for party so that all the things are

When asked about what he would change in Woensel to feel more at home he shares with us that he would grow mountains and bring the ocean. Ana by contrary asks more simple things, like having her family with her would make her much happier.

She doesn’t believe the ocean or mountains can move to Woensel so she prefers to keep it simple.

We discuss if there is something more we can ask them and we agree maybe it would be nice to meet them other time so we keep their number for an eventual meeting. We greet each other and walk towards “Oprah” hairdresser.

Outspoken In our way there, when I (Lucas) was about to finish the sentence “I am running out off...” a man on his 50/60’s finishes my sentence with “I am running out of money!” we immediately looked at him and laughed.

It didn’t take us a blink to notice his beautiful black dog proud as its owner. Shay asked him if she could take some pictures of the dog and doesn’t resist to take a picture to the man as well. He reacts as a grumpy man that didn’t give permission for her to take him pictures but soon we realize he was just scaring us and laughed about it.

What do you think about the identity of Woensel?

“Too new. I like a nostalgic place. A shopping center like old times.

Don’t try to copy new places, try to copy old Dutch places. Stay with the basic.

What is the future identity of Woensel?

The shops of this place can’t survive like this, internet will replace most of them. Shops have to give an added value, special service : atmosphere and identity.

V Oprah Hair Salon 8th of May of 2013

V.I Observation & First impressions We decided to split for two roles before entering the hair saloon. Lucas will do an observation, collect as much data as possible, note down everything, and Shay will talk to the employees of the saloon, the boss, and the clients.

Try to find interesting stories or interaction, and as well take pictures.

We called before we arrived, and one of the girls told us it is OK, but when we came there, and asked the boss to do an observation and take pictures she said no. I (shay) tried to explain that we are students, and it is a nonprofit project. Only after I showed my student card, she agreed. After this moment, everything went very well.

The girls were all very warm and friendly, willing to help and talk. A lot.

We spent a few hours there, getting closer to the girls, asking questions, taking pictures, and trying to get a good impression of the place. Our idea was to really take the time to get to know the place and the people, so we can analyze later on what could be interesting to continue with. We tried to be spontaneous and pay attention to the important details. We wrote down the core elements of the conversation, not everything, because we were there for a few hours.

We brought them flowers sometime before we left, and they were very touched by it. Â They were happy to help more if we will need, and invited us to come again.

The time at Oprah hair saloon was effective, interesting, informative and we enjoyed ourselves.

Next pages are the main points of the conversations we had, the observation, and images.

Enya the blond intern

S: “ How is the interaction with the clients here?

E: The more experience the hairdresser has, the more she talks. Amina, has years of experience, so she can cut and talk at the same time. Amanda, is only one year, so she has to be concentrated.

S: What kind of hair styles to client usually ask here? Is there something in common?

E: The more rich the client is, they are more free. They are open. Asks us to do whatever we think.

Mostly people ask for layers, not one straight line.

Amanda the brunette beginner

S: How is the interaction here with the clients? something , you get very emotional. Very close to the A: Here we take the time to talk , In some other sa- person. Often we get flowers from people. Russian lons they are not allowed to talk. clients are difficult. Some people eat your energy.

S: How do you know how much to talk , ask questions to the clients?

A: I can feel it. I am open with the clients, You can feel when someone wants to talk, and when someone wants to finish and go. Woman like to talk more.

I like to work with women more, you can change a Sometimes Amina cries, because somebody tells you lot.

Because it takes time, money. Here we talk , but we keep it to ourselves. I am open with the clients. I don’t have to smile all day. I get very tired sometimes, some people take all your energy, ask a lot, attention.

Some people are so nice, I get energetic and happy.

Shama the red haired boss from Syria

S: What do you think about Woensel?

Sm: Nice people, silent.

S: How is the interaction in the hair saloon?

Sm: We make it cozy.

S: How often to client come back?

Sm: every 5-6 weeks usually. We try to take the time with the customer, a treat. A moment to relax.

Some clients come specially for the Russian hair dresser, or for me. Because of the origin. I used to only trust one girls to cut my hair. Now I cut it here.

You go cut your hair with someone that you trust.

S: Is there a special style for Woensel?

Sm: Not special for Woensel, but our place is about the contact with people.

S: Do you have the neighborhood gossip here?

S: What colour do people ask usually?

Sm: I don’t want that. What people tell us, we keep Sm: a combination of colour and highlights. Dark here. colour with highlights.

S: What is the difference between Syrian hair and S: do you have a lot of foreign customers?

Dutch hair?

Sm: most of the customers are dutch.

Sm: Syrian hair is thick hair, too much, structure.

Sm: The girls (hairdressers) know how to work with Big. Dutch hair is thin, shorter, not a lot.

Dutch Hair. Our (Syrian) hair is different. People choose for the own original country hair dresser. S: What do you prefer?

I prefer here Dutch clients, then we can talk more Sm: I prefer our, its stronger. with the clients.

If your hair is OK, everything is OK. I think hair tells a lot about a person, but I don’t say, S: How do you keep it a Dutch place? oh I have to do something with your hair.

Sm: Ways of getting contacts. Prices. Foreigners don’t feel home here. Here its Dutch atmosphere: talking S: How often do you cut your hair?

Dutch team.

Sm: every 3 weeks max.

VI Observation Report 8th of May of 2013

Observation Report

14:28 I (Lucas) enter the hair dresser and sit down in the waiting area while Shay talks with (what seems to be) the owner of the saloon.

From my place I can’t pick up on their conversation but I can see Shay showing her design academy card to the owner. She nods towards me like who says “it is OK”.

There are two kids sitting in front of me are using iPhone and tablet to spend their time.

14:32 I don’t register any gossip or talking.

The radio is playing pop music.

Hair dressers are talking with each other while one wipes the floor.

Shay takes pictures and I can understand they are talking about the pictures.

The phone rings. The hair dresser replies. She speaks not so loud.

She is making an appointment.

14:34 The kids keep on playing with their iPhone and tablet. They are about 9 (the girl) and 6 (the boy).

There are 3 women sitting on the hairdresser’s chairs, from left to right: 1st woman dyeing her hair.

2nd woman waiting with a towel on her head.

3rd woman with long hair, hair being combed and cut.

Both the hair dresser and the woman have similar hair cuts, but her and the 3rd woman have their hair died black.

The second woman walks towards the hairdresser with the magazine on her hands. There are several more magazines lying on the table on the waiting zone. Some are “gossip magazines” (on the right) and hair cut magazines (on the left).

The girl goes next to the st woman.

14:40 She goes back to her place and grabs the iPhone out of her wallet, she starts playing again.

Her hair is done in a pony tail, half long, maybe by her shoulders when loose.

The kid is still playing with his tablet. I can here from the sound coming from the tablet that he is playing a game that involves fights and weapons.

I notice now that the hair dresser door is wide open since I arrived.

The hair dressers brings a coffee to the first woman.

And now some magazines. She is waiting for the dying product to color her hair.

It’s now 14:42 She is by now ignoring the magazines. No, she just picked one of the two.

14:36 Shay told me that the hair cuts being done are a mirThe girl puts the iPhone on her mother bag. ror of the hairdresser’s hair cuts. I noticed that before She is silent and seams bored, she plays with the iP- and I am glad she just told me that. hone (the object - not as in the interface of a game).

There is a room that is now open, where I can see a Woman picks a magazine with several hair cuts, she microwave, a fridge, a printer, some washed dishes is the 2nd woman. and a drying rack.

She has a look at the hair cuts. The magazine seems to be called studio b&g or something similar.

It’s now 14:45 The first woman is reading a tabloid magazine.

The hair dresser cutting hair of the 3rd woman is sitting on a blue stool (it looks very ergonomic and The other women talk with the hair dresser and made for that purpose). laughs with her.

I can see now that the girl is playing “who wants to be a millionaire” on her iPhone.

She just looked at me.

The first woman sips on her coffee. “Lekker”.

of her hair dresser. Dark brown.

She has a blue cape over her, different than the black ones from the other woman. It looks nice with her hair.

The third woman gets her hair dried as well.

Shay talks with hair dressers in the back room (the one with the microwaves and stuff).

It’s 14:58 by now.

I hear sound of the game of the boy. Sounds like a The second woman’s gets hair dried as well with the sward sliding over a metal shield. roll.

The phone rings, and the same woman picks up. She speaks louder now. She is the owner.

“Effe kijken”. She checks a paper and looks at the hairdressers. She keeps on smiling, a true wide smile.

She laughs a bit. She tries to find a time for the appointment while she slides the pen through the paper. “Half five”.

The asks for the client’s telephone number. “Prima.

Doei. Doei!”

The third woman gets gel. Very very similar to the hair dressers hair cut.

She gives her own hair her personal touch.

15:05 2nd and 3rd women leave.

It’s 15:37 I’ve been talking with hairdressers and taking pictures. So I missed to write some observations. Still it was worth it.

It’s 14:49 now The second woman gets her hair dried. The hair dresser is first looking for something. A curved The first woman finally gets her hair dry. comb, for rolling, I guess. Her hair is straight and The girl is standing by the mirror and playing with a smooth but still wet. steering wheel that is built in a chair for cutting hair to kids. The hair dresser, girl and woman talk.

The third woman is getting her hair quiet short. But it was already short when she entered.

The hair dresser drops the round comb and picks it up. The girl goes somewhere, I lost track of her, mayBoth hair dressers are often quiet. be she went to the bathroom or to the back room.

The kids look really bored, they are sitting opposite A woman is now waiting diagonally opposite to me. each other.

She just observers. Now opens the wallet and picks her smart-phone. With the noise of the hair dryers I 14:55 can’t understand if she got a message or if she is just The 3rd woman is almost ready. checking it. In the washing chairs a men gets his hair The girl goes next to the first woman. She talks to washed. He looks pleased . He holds his glasses over her while holding the iPhone. She laughs and puts it his belly with both hands. His left harm as a black in the bag. She looks impatient, balancing from foot and white tattoo followed by a bright white watch. to feet.

He looks like a football player.

The hair of the second woman looks impeccable. He moved to the then empty chair. And looks at the Shine straight and smooth. It is now clear if the hair mirror while waiting. The girl who washed is hair is is dyed black, it is almost the same colour of the one now talking with the woman waiting. She puts down

Observation Report (Continuation)

the smartphone since they start talking. The men is looking at the hairdresser putting gel or wax on the woman next to him. She is the first woman. The hair cut is incredibly similar to the one of the hair dresser, but with a different colour (just died light brown opposite of the pitch black from the hairdresser). The man is again holding his glasses with both hands. He seams relaxed.

chair.

The woman waits in the waiting chair.

Both the first woman and girl leave. The girl didn’t get the gummy.

She seams upset, I don’t know if there is any relation with that. She was not amused during the time she was here.

Two of the hairdressers speak with each other, “Time of my life is playing” Now the third one joins, she brings a shaving knife.

The man looks back, e seams impatient, looking over It’s 16:02 and the woman is still waiting. his shoulder.

A young boy enters. He doesn’t speak Dutch so they call the blond hair dresser to speak with him.

The blond hair dresser sits on chair 3.

She says something that I can’t pick up.

The other hairdresser (brown hair) combs her hair.

He sits and waits.

The man waiting sips on the water and scratches his nose.

16:05 The radio is playing Rihana, it has been playing pop The guy gets his hair washed. The water is OK. He music since the beginning. was asked before if he wanted to wash the hair.

The first woman gets some hair spray, and keeps on Now only man clients are in the saloon. talking with the hair dresser. I got the word mooi. The black haired hairdresser trims the men’s hair.

The smell of the hair dresser reaches me.

The hair dresser shows the back of her cut with the 16:11 the young boy is still getting his hair washed. mirror. The brown hair dresser says Moooooi!

The waiting woman comes back and sits in the same She proceeds to the payment. I’m wondering if the position, I didn’t notice her leaving. girl will get a gummy or not. The other kid got one An older woman gets in and asks something. The when he left, and I also got one 20 minutes ago. The answer she gets is related with time. She is offered blonde hair dresser gave it to me. She was really kind. a sit but leaves after a friendly talk with the blonde hairdresser.

The client waiting (the woman) analysis the hair of the blonde hair dresser. The brunette one also touch- The blond hairdresser finished to wash the young es her hair. boy’s hair.

The blonde hair dresser makes a pony tale out of her hair as goes to the back room with the brunette one. Some product goes to the mans eye. The black haired hairdresser shouts “Snel! Snel Amanda!”.

15:50 the first woman is still paying.

The brunette hairdresser brings a piece of wet cotShe gets now the receipt. ton. The blonde hairdresser joins.

The hair dresser seams to be giving some tips gestic- She leaves and the cut goes on. ulating around her own hair.

The boy is now sitting on the cutting chair. He is put The man is still waiting and sitting on the cutting an elastic band around his neck.

Shay approaches him and he says he is from Spain.

He asks her the same back. “I’m from Israel” Shay says.

The man looks very please with the hair cut. His neck is red because of skin irritation.

The boy is asked if he was here before. I think he said After coming the boy had a hairstyle showing little yes. He doesn’t speak much it seems. care, not so short, with hair falling on his forehead (fringe).

The lady next to me checks the price list. It is an a4 page written in “Calibri”. It shows the marks of a 16:17 page folded 3 times.

The cut begins. He gives some tips. “The fringe ... to really straight”.

The man gets his hair washed. The hairdresser (black The hairdresser (black hair) brings a big poster from haired) seems to be the most talkative. She is now the shop window to show the man a hair cut. He puts drying his hair. I guess the gel is following up. his glasses on and after a short talk he says “Prima”.

The hairdresser (black haired) looks at me through The boy looks tired and looks at his own eyes in the the mirror and smiles. mirror.

Yup, the gel is now being applied, it is not shinny Shay asks the man how does he choose for his hair (not that much like a football player after all). dress. He sees hair cuts from other people, he said he You can tell he is pleased with the result. Is face is likes football players hair style. blushed and he is smiling on its way to the paying desk. He is clearly Dutch, very clearly.

The old lady that left some time ago came back around 10 minutes ago.

The boys hair cut is ready. Just a bit shorter. But more stylish. Is fringe is pointing forward. He gets his hair The hairdresser asks something to the Spanish guy. dried. His face doesn’t tell much.

He just wants it shorter “I think the hair ... Depends form person to person”. He tells something about the The hairdresser asks wax or gel. He says he doesn’t fringe, also the hair dresser picks a tool to explain know. She advises wax, because gel is too hard. She something about the fringe. shows Shay and me the wax and gives it to us to I’m as close as I can be while writing but the sound of smell. It does smell nice. She tells him how good it is. a hair dryer is impeding me to listen properly.

She explains that he needs to wash his hair the next day otherwise it is gonna be too hard.

Shay keeps on taking pictures. “Nice ones!” she just told me.

The cut is ready, he approaches the paying desk.

He has a stamp card so he was here before. He pays The lady next to me has the calm of an old lady. Ups with a 50 euro bill and the hairdresser asks for smallmaybe not, she just stood up. er. He has one euro which helps with the change.

She checks her wallet. She has a denim style and wears a flower shirt under her jacket.

He thanks. She says have a nice day, he puts his jackShe goes outside and checks something, she is back et together. and sits.

I can see a quick smile before he leaves.

It’s 16:24 by now.

End of observation report.

The brunette hair dresser is trimming the hair of the boy next to his ears with a trimming machine.

VII Discussion 9th of May of 2013

Lucas: I think we have to remember that our topic is the hair”. It was nice to hear all the stories of the Portuguese couple, but it isn’t related to the research topic.

the personal story. Related to the topic of hair, but with a deeper layer.

Shama, the owner of the place, could be a great stoAfter the first day of research we received a lot of in- ry. She has a strong personality, and we would like to formation, of many different aspects . We realized that know more about her. easily we could lose track of our research topic.

Our research question was “How can hairstyles/ Shay: For me, when I meet the owner of a Dutch hair hairdresser reflect the society of Woensel?” saloon, a woman from Syria, that prefers to keep her We think Shama could reflect a big part of the sociplace for Dutch clients, but wouldn’t let almost any ety of Woensel.

Dutch girl to touch her hair - this is where it gets inWe realized that from all the shops around that centeresting. tre, the hairdresser is the place you spend the most We know now, as we expected before, that we couldn’t time in. At least 30 min. This means that there is a lot find definition for the typical hair style of Woensel. of opportunities for interaction. We relate that with So looking only at haircuts and hairstyles is too flat the talks we had with the hairdressers, that said that their job could be very emotional. She takes in a lot and not really representative for the area. of the stories of her clients, and identify with them.

On the other hand, the hair saloon proved to be a place A funny fact we noticed is that many times the hairwhere a lot of interaction and interesting stories take dresser takes a client that is close to her - either by hair style or colour, or by origin or language. One of place. the girls explained that often they discuss together The story of the owner is very interesting to look with the team, who should take which client. deeper into. In a way she does represent something of the community. A foreign woman, that owns a Lucas: If we are looking for “the voice of the city”, in a business which she tries to keep with Dutch style. way the hair dresser is “the ears of the city”.

But what is Dutch style today? What is Woensel’s atmosphere? She still hired an hairdresser from Al- Options to continue: bania, that cuts hair for a lot of Russian customers.

1. Interview with Shama, hopefully at her house.

She likes to have a cozy place, where people take 2. Join the weekly team night at the hair saloon. time to talk, and feel at home. And she is very strict 3. Organize an evening with the Portuguese couple, about keeping the privacy of her clients, she is not and get to know some of their friends.

4. Look into another example of a hair salon to cominterested in gossip at all. pare.

Shay: I would like to look for the voice of the city, for

VIII Pictures 8th of May of 2013

IX Infographics Analyzing the information

NURTURED KIND CONFIDENT

PROFESSIONAL

SEXY

EMPATHIC

STRONG

PROVACATIVE

AUTHORITY

SHAMA’S CHARACTER * Impression based | May 2013

X Rethinking and Questioning before the 3rd visit to Woensel

Before jumping again into the research mode, we felt we had to rethink our focus direction.

We already have a lot of information and several possible directions, but what is the essence? What do we want to find out further?

It is clear for us at this point that hairdresser as a profession is not the most interesting direction to take. As well it is clear that we are not going to define one hairstyle for Woensel. So what is our research about?

It is about interaction between people, it is about different ethnicities meeting each other under one roof top, it is about the importance of services that can provide a meaningful experience, it is about the inhabitants of Woensel meeting each other in a easy, non binding environment.

We asked ourselves what is the role of the hair salon for the people of Woensel, why do they go there? How often? What do they benefit from the service, other than the haircut itself.

Before going back to the hair salon, we should be more clear on what we are looking to find. We decided to focus mainly on the interactions, and interview all the clients of that day, to get a better picture of the relation to the community.

Shay is going to do the interviews, and Lucas will focus on the visual research, trying to spot details and get a better understating of the service.

XI Collecting Stories 22nd of May of 2013

The classic Lithuanian lady The hairdresser is taking the coat of the lady. The coffee is served after the lady is already sitting in front of the mirror. Multiple use of nicknames for the clients: “sweety”. While the hairdresser is fixing the eyebrows of a woman, the customer is telling her stories.

Interviews Woman around her 60’s, waiting for the hairdresser, while reading a magazine. I (shay) approach her to ask her a few questions.

She is from Lithuania.

S: What hairstyle do you like?

L: I have already a feeling what is best.

S: Where is the hair salon better, here or in Lithuania?

L: There is better.

But this hair saloon I like. I enjoy. The woman here have good feeling for style, people.

Simple Dutch woman, have no good style. I speak Russian here with Amina. Because both our countries were part of Soviet Union.

S: Why did you come here?

L: I came here for love. Now I separate from my husband. But I have friends.

S: How is the style different here than in Lithuania?

Young people is the same.

Not every hair dresser can give you the feeling. Must be individual. Service is everything. It is good if you pay money.

I am more classic. Don’t like Van Abbemuseum, too Modern.

A graceful mother Mother and two children, boy and girl.

The mother and the son are Dutch, the daughter, 5 years old, is half Moroccan, half Dutch.

S: How often do you cut your hair?

M: Twice a year. I don’t have time or money for more.

The kids 4-5 times.

Usually I go to brainwash.

S: When do you to cut your hair?

M: Birthday, Christmas. Now I really needed it. So its actually three.

S: what makes a hair-salon a good or bad place?

M: If the kids are satisfied, it is good. You explain what you want, if the understand me, and do it. His (son) hair is difficult, goes up.

She (daughter) has my hair, she is lucky. And a bit curl from her father She cut her own her hair. I was shocked, she is 5 years old.

S: What is the character of Woensel?

M: Little community, everyone knows each other, a

little neighborhood. Cozy.

It has two sides. You say hello to each other, start talking in the street.

The other side, a lot of criminality.

You have the “normal people”, make you feel really warm. /the other side, I don’t let them play outside alone. Stealing.

The area has a lot of green, options to go.

The Moroccans here, don’t make friend. Don’t join activities. They just laugh at the other kids who do.

Shout at them.

In other places foreigners are together, here its very sad.

S: What would make it better?

M: If the adults join, get more involved.

The adults put themselves apart, they don’t want to get involved in Dutch living. Leave their kids a lot out. Allow them to stay very late, no control.

The mother gets her hair cut, the hairdresser looks at the daughter hair. Cuts it.

Willful and eager S: How often do you come here?

B: To the center? I come every day, we live so close.

S: To the hair saloon?

B: once in two month.

S: What is the character of Woensel? General feeling?

B: Nice, the center is rebuilt. They didn’t do a good job I think. Not the right decision.

The area I live in, very close to here, is build by the same architect who planned the city center. It was very good, and they changed it. Its nice to live here, this part especially. Not all parts are nice.

S: Why? B: Some parts, the houses are not kept well. Not good living space. Very concentrated areas, not mixed. A lot of people are a bit poor, or different culture. (She whisper when sais different cultures). Too much of the same. Not mixed. All the same people.

S: What is the name of the area you live in? T’HOOL. People with better income, many work for Philip.

Build in the 20th century.

The son is getting his hair cut.

S: How do you choose for him a hair style?

B: Always the same, he likes long. Me too. He has twice as hair. They make it thinner. With a knife or something. He has difficult hair. Goes to different direction. My father was a hairdresser, he told us he has this kind of thick hair, and a lot.

S: What makes a good hair place?

B: That you know different kind of hair. If you have a lot of initiatives. You can tell your customer what is best for him. If you have technical background, stay update, keep up.

S: What do you expect from the service?

B: Talk, conversation, not too much. Its also a social aspect. It needs to be.

S: Why? B: Today you have a lot of social media. You don’t meet a lot of people outside. So this place can give that. A lot of elderly people need it, it can be light conversations.

S: What makes is a social place?

B: I think the employees, they make it or break it. Its important to be good with people, but also technical.

50/50. And then you come back again to the same place.

S: Is there an hairstyle for Woensel?

B: short and red.

S: And for you?

B: I always had very blond.

S: Length?

B: That changes.

S: What would inspire you?

B: If I’m feeling tired of it, or just a change. Its an impulse.

S: What do you do for a job?

B: I am a nurse, for blood exam. I go to people’s home.

S: What do you think of the mix of foreigners?

B: Here its less mixed. (Here its behind the center, this area) . More “white, Dutch”.

Our society is different now, I think it needs to be more mixed, you learn from each other.

S: Which ethnicity you feel the most? Turkish, lately Polish, Moroccan. My experience are good. My neighbor is Serbian, Dutch, Turkish. I think its your own attitude, if you don’t open up.

If you don’t know a culture, you can’t judge a culture.

Its different, but sometimes it can bring you more in life. Culture, that’s what makes the world go round.

S: do you exchange something with you neighbors?

For example recipe?

B: For cooking I search myself.

Man enters, offered coffee.

Philips’s employee and regular client

S: How often do you cut your hair?

N: every 6 weeks. Always here.

S: Why here?

N: Good location, friendly people.

S: What do you do?

N: I work for Philips.

S: What makes a good hair salon?

N: A good place, mostly the people, and flexibility.

S: In what way the people?

N: Friendly, nice.

S: Do you like when they talk to you?

N: Not always. I appreciate a friendly approach.

S: What do you think of Woensel?

N: Old fashioned, old building.

S: Social part?

N: average.

S: Do you have the feeling of community?

N: I don’t.

S: Do you miss it?

N: Not really S: Do you feel the difference in cultures here?

N: I see a lot, it doesn’t really affect me. I don’t care too much, I travel a lot.

S: How do you choose how to cut your hair?

N: She knows. (the hairdresser) S: Preference of style?

N: Short, easy to maintain.

S: What do you expect from the service?

N: exactly this. When I walk in, they take me, and friendly approach.

Woman sitting with her child, reading a book for him.

Kindness from South Africa A: Does Not matter the country. Good hairdresser S: Where are you from? looks at your face and knows what to do. They really A: From South Africa. good ones,you trust and the just do what they like.

S: Why did you come here?

S: What do you expect from the service?

A: We had to leave, political issues. We came here in A: Good haircut, friendly. The worth is when they 1986. try to do things you don’t want.

S: What is the difference between life here and there? S: Do you feel the different ethnicity in the area?

A: More relaxed, informal.

A: Not really, not so involved.

Closed living, more tight people. Here people have S: What is your hairstyle? less freedom.

A: Half Dutch, half Italian. Italian i thicker.

S: Why did you choose this hair saloon?

A: In Italy they cut according to thickness, In Asia A: I came here by chance, I could do it on the spot. according to age. Dutch is fine hair. You need to be S: What would make it a place to come back? careful.

A: It is important they don’t try to sell you a product. The weather here is a problem, so people go with Listen to what you want. simple hair style, short. When you go on the bike, it S: what do you think of the interaction? is not practical.

A: I like that there are different nationalities. = Dif- S: What makes a good hair salon? ferent approach, different conversation.

A: Your mind goes off your problems, experience, Usually in conversation with Dutch, always talk simple things. about the weather, holiday. Superficial.

Hair dresser and is a cheap psychologist.

S: Is there a difference in hair style here and South Africa?

XII Reactions & Reflections after the 3rd visit to Woensel

Confused.

We got a lot of personal stories. We took a lot of nice pictures. We had a good time.

It is clear that the hair salon is an opportunity for interaction, and a mix of different nationalities. No doubt it can be a meeting point for the inhabits.

It is also clear that the Oprah hair salon offers a good service with friendly, open minded staff. But it seems like it doesn’t stand out from the other hair salons.

Some of the clients that arrived that day, just walked in because it was free, and some are regular clients. We also realized that this hair saloon only attracts a certain part of the community, being not the cheapest one, and not having only one ethnic identity.

There are opportunities for interactions, and there was a lot happening in the hair saloon while we were there, but this was very influenced by us asking questions, taking pictures. In a way, we created the meaningful interaction we were looking for.

Looking at the service, we spotted the waiting time as the biggest opportunity for intervention, since it is flexible and it is “dead� time.

What could be a meaningful connection between the hair salon as a service and the inhabitants of Woensel?

Reflection - Lucas I started this project thinking about studying the relation between the sun and the city, how it influences the daily life of the inhabitants, the dynamics of the community.

Back then, understanding where the light falls, where it is reflected, where people better enjoy it and the activities related to it while crossing this data with geographic information seemed interesting for me.

After the first visit in Woensel, I realized there was not enough potential in this idea. The shadow areas were not very expressive or representative and soon Iost my excitement about this project . The main reason for dropping this idea is that a research of this kind could have a flat out come. While walking with Shay around Woensel we discussed the idea of researching about hair types, and it became clear from that this could be an interesting approach (it revealed to be). I really liked how we were very dynamic within the research process. As we were researching we were also changing our focus points, and discovering new options. This flexibility allowed us to go in ways I would not expect us to go.

tire day as we weren’t there as mere observers but as part of the conversations. The welcoming environment made it easier to approach people and to get honest input. This friendly atmosphere made it possible to integrate a more human and true insight in the project. Keeping the angle wide, our focus open, made it possible to keep meaning. Instead of looking for hard data, the focus was what could be interesting and relevant for the people in the surrounding.

At the moment we started looking for design opportunities things became more complicated, once we were looking at out topic in a wider sense. It was difficult to find a clear direction or to understand if we needed to keep on researching and gathering material. I feel we were not distant enough from our data to understand where the real value was standing.

Taking a break, stepping back, and later discussing new possibilities, was essential to find our direction.

Taking a flexible approach in our research method allowed us to find and take the next step towards the design.

Being able to redirect our creative process, to adapt I particularly enjoyed being in Oprah hair saloon, it to what is interesting and keeping the spirit of the interacting with the hairdressers, the clients and research fresh and insightful was with no doubt the taking the time to understand what was happening most important thing I learned in this project so far. around me. I also found this very tiring after an en-

Reflection - Shay My research starting point was very wide. I wanted to focus on searching for visual identity for Woensel.

barrier, but it reminded me again how little we need in order to understand each other. I like the challenge of communicating with different types of peoThis was a very abstract approach, which I often take ple, getting to know new characters, and learning by when I start researching. Being very abstract and listening. general, is good for keeping a wide point of view, but also makes it complicated to grasp and narrow later, The research process was confusing at some steps, I think this was an obstacle we were confronted with I thought we have a clear direction, and then it was through the research process. blurry again. But I think by keeping an open mind, and collecting a lot of information, while as well takIn that sense, collaborating with Lucas was very ing a step back, we were able to make logical steps. good for me, because his approach is more analytic and direct. We had many discussions on what is the For the next step I would like to keep it a bit more interesting angle to choose, and what could we do simple. I know for myself I tend to make things to with that later. We didn’t always agree, but I like to complexed and abstract. It is a good practice for me get another point of view on things. to work on the visual part, and the design process, while trying to stay focused on a clear idea.

I learned a lot from doing the infographic. The skill to visualize information is very important for me to develop.

Our research method was mainly interviews and observation. I enjoyed that process a lot. I believe in learning from personal stories. I like looking into the details as a reflection of the totality. In this way I think it is possible to build a layered project, and I usually choose for this approach. For that we had to talk with many people, the language is a bit of a

XIII Conclusion 27th of May of 2013

Our research started very broad. We chose the hair topic because we wanted to get a different angle on the city, a different point of view. Our initial idea was to search for visual identity through the hair, knowing that there are many different ethnicities, and assuming they all have different hair and style. We quickly realized this is an impossible mission. And yet, we gathered a lot of information, and were able to analyze it from different perspective.

The personnas: We got to know the Oprah staff very well. We interviewed them, observed them and became friends with them. We learned who they are, where they came from, how do they perceive their job. We were impressed by the strong personality of the boss, and found her to be a good representation of the place: foreign woman, confident, with a wish to keep the place “Dutch”.

The Service: We chose one hair salon as a starting point. The reason for that choice was the friendly approach of the staff.

The aim was to map the service, understand it better, and learn about the relationship between the clients themselves and the hairdressers.

We concluded the service is a personal, detailed service, with a lot of care. This is a result of the price of the hair cut. The most interesting part for us was the waiting time, since it is dynamic, and offers an opportunity for interactions.

The Stories: After analyzing all the steps we took , and the information we got, we realized that the meaning of the hair salon for our project is actually a tool. It is a tool for us to get to know Woensel, to understand it’s complexity, and most of all, to meet and talk to local inhabitants. This kind of private conversations with local people would be difficult to achieve in another context. In the street it is not really possible, and knocking on people’s doors is not the right way as well. The hair salon provides a kind of easy, open atmosphere, which make people more comfortable with talking about themselves. In a very short time, The Hub: we could hear a lot of nice stories from different peoWe assumed that the hairdresser is a kind of hub, ple. When arriving to Woensel, we spotted a probwhere stories are being told, gossip is shared and lem. One cannot really feel the city. It always reveals people meet each other. This was confirmed to be only a small piece of the pie. true. Stories are told, and the relationship with the It is a layered environment, constantly changing. hairdresser is many times very close, even intimate. The hair saloon is a tool for listening to the voice of This is of course depending on the circumstances. the city.

We also learned that since the place tries to be classy, and respectful, the gossip part is not that present.

Concluding with a design question:

How can we expand the hair salon’s dialogue to others places in Woensel?

Hair Woensel Design for debate: Research report

Lucas Teixeira & Shay Raviv