Modern Hairpins

Here are some modern hairpins from all over the world.
They are made of all kinds of different materials, including modern synthetic plastics and glass.
Most of them have been mass produced in factories to be sold cheaply in huge numbers. Their low price means that women can buy new ones very frequently and own many hairpins. These will not be treasured and handed down the generations like in earlier centuries.

Compared to the old hairpins seen in the other galleries we can see different manufacturing techniques. The old hairpins were almost all made by hand using exquisite skill and craftsmanship. The common materials used were coppers alloys such as bronze or brass and silver. Sometimes they were gilded to look like gold. Modern hairpins use metal alloy with electroplating on top of cheap metals such as steel, nickel silver or brass. They may be cast in their thousands or stamped out in sheet metal with no craftsmanship. They use plastic and glass instead of natural gemstones. Sometimes the whole object is cast in plastic.

In hairpins we can see how human ingenuity has advanced the use of materials to make objects easily and cheaply in the modern era. We can also see the simultaneous decline in craftsmanship and individuality in the objects available. With the decline in hand made objects human culture is left diminished and impoverished.




Click the pictures below and see the larger pictures.

現代髮簪

　　這個藝廊中展出的是來自世界各地的現代髮簪，這些物件多使用複合媒材，拜科技所賜，工業發展出許多高科技材質以及裝飾方法。髮簪在現代所扮演的角色已不如古代髮簪為珠寶首飾等級的飾品，而為常民的生活的配件。由於工廠大量製作因此價格便宜，婦女可以購買不同款式以搭配日常生活的時尚造型。

　　與古代髮簪相較，古代多使用天然材質如珊瑚珍珠或是半寶石等材質裝飾，表面塗裝也使用鎏金或是貼金等真金屬表層，現代則多使用合成寶石、塑膠水鑚等工廠大量開模製造之物品；古代著重純手工製作和製作工藝，現代則講求大量、迅速以及價廉。低廉的價格使得婦女可以快速大量擁有不同的髮簪，在服飾時尚的轉變下，髮簪也不再像以前有著髮上獨占的地位，取而代之的是各種的髮圈、髮夾和裝飾品。

　　古代的髮簪都是工匠使用金銀細工純手工打製，儲物件的設計和實用功能外，更保有傳統的工藝技術。唯現代佩帶髮簪的人劇減，髮簪僅成為頭上的裝飾物，其內在涵意如成年及笄之禮、貴金屬保值以及不同髮型的象徵也隨時代改變而式微。甚至在年輕的女孩觀念中，會有髮簪是老奶奶輩的人才使用的物品。

　　古代的金銀首飾非常貴重，許多女人終其一生只有一支髮簪。當科技越進步，人們的物質生活越來越豐富時，髮簪已經慢慢的退出了頭上的舞台。生命自己會找出路，而文化也是。現代髮簪把自己轉化成另外一種方式繼續存在，利用新的科技和材質型塑不同的樣式。而古代女人頭上的一簇花團錦簇，也僅能留在歷史圖片中。

看著古代女人頭上登峰造極的華麗裝飾，再比對現代的塑膠髮簪，這是一種進步還是退步呢？


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