Paper-Cut-Project Sculpts Gravity-Defying Wigs Out Of Paper

We’re perpetually astounded by the inhuman patience of designers working in paper. Some of these include Elod Beregszaszi’s ziggurat sculptures, Matt Shlian’s geometrically precise 3-D posters, and Zim & Zou’s painstaking recreations of Game Boys and Walkmen. And joining the ranks of our paper-craft idols: Nikki Salk and Amy Flurry, whose Paper-Cut-Project has produced stunning wigs for fashion bigwigs like Kate Spade and Cartier.

Since joining forces 18 months ago, Salk, a former boutique owner, and Flurry, a writer and stylist, have been transforming sheets of paper into dramatic silhouettes--including 18th-century hairpieces that climb to impossible heights--using a steel-blade knife and some glue. Each piece is assembled almost exclusively from white Bristol paper, with the desired depth and detail achieved through the shadows cast by overlapping pieces. In so doing, Salk and Flurry deliver a new take on one of the simplest and oldest materials. “I want to make our audiences forget about what we’re not supposed to be able to do with paper,” Salk says.