3c

3c is a self portrait of the artist surrounded by white hands.


The work shows Jones’ pasivity in being made to feel Othered by her surroundings, while her expression suggests a deep discomfort from the situation. 

“Can I touch it?”

“Sure” I say and smile to let them know that it’s ok

“Wow, it’s so soft!”  
“What did you expect?” I say, but only in my head.

“Are you done yet?”
They don’t seem to hear me
I realise I didn’t say that out loud either

I don’t want to seem rude

I’m not even sure that it does bother me 
It seems to bother everyone else it happens to

But that girl who ran her fingers through my hair didn’t mean any harm

The guy who stuck his whole hand in there definitely crossed the line

but he was drunk so...

and I’m not even sure where the line is

It’s a part of myself I’ve had to learn to love
so if other people love it then I should be happy right?

But I kind of wish they could just love it with their eyes
I’m sick of finding people’s rings in my hair.

 

Its main references are Solange’s song Don’t Touch My Hair and a chapter from Bell Hook’s Black Looks titled Eating The Other, while its visual style has been largely informed by Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests.



By extracting the action of playing with someone’s hair from reality and making it the sole focus of the video the artist is asking her audience to consider the meaning and implications of something that may seem inconsequential at first glance.