Psychic Barber

“Every flame contains fire, any bone from a dead body contains death, in just the same way as a single hair is thought to contain a man’s life force.” – Marcel Mauss, A General Theory of Magic

Psychic Barber is a social sculpture staffed with hair stylists and barbers who also possess a psychic gift. They give free psychic readings and create a new hairstyle for the participant that reflects the insight gained through the experience. The project conjures intimacy and transformation in a private setting situated in a public space.

This project was first commissioned by Side Street Projects and generously supported by the Pasadena Art Alliance. Psychic Barber is a collaboration between Finishing School and Yucef Merhi. Organized community events, artist performances, and workshops took place during the course of the project. The Psychic Barbers are Gina Kelly, Isabelle Cordemans, Allison Metchikoff, and Athena Le Grand.

Read the project essay by Megan Steinman here.

Selected Images (Side Street Projects, 2013)
Selected Images (Riverside Art Museum, 2014)

Press

• “10 Awesome Art Exhibits You Need to See” Green-Label.com, November 3, 2014
• “Psychic Barber” Art-Scene.tv, October 30, 2014
• “‘Psychic barbers’ give a reading, then a haircut” The Press Enterprise, October 6, 2014
• “Datebook: Photographic collages, haircuts by psychics, zine of zines” Los Angeles Times, October 3, 2014

Psychic Barber was a Transform Today grant finalist. PB was nominated by Vice Magazine. Transform Today is a grant funded by Absolut Vodka.

Psychic Barber was presented at Side Street Projects (Pasadena, CA) and the Riverside Art Museum (Riverside, CA).