The Plait – steel sculpture in Westersingel

The Plait is a 2020 steel sculpture by sculptor Kalliopi Lemos, known for her large-scale public installations. The upright plait of dark brown hair has a length of 6,5 meters. The Plait is part of her recent sculpture series Tools of Endearment and is about the role of femininity in modern society. The cutting of the hair braid alludes to a gesture of disobedience, a radically personal gesture against (patriarchal) coercion. But also cutting off old ideas, from change, as an act of liberation and coming of age. In 2020 The Plait purchased by the Droom en Daad foundation and donated to the municipality of Rotterdam. The work was added to the sculpture terrace on Westersingel and unveiled on March 8, 2021.