Think all pillows are soft and fluffy? Think again.
An exhibit, “Sleeping Beauties: Headrests from the Fowler Museum at UCLA,” at San Francisco International (SFO) shows how people throughout time have made rigid pillows from a wide variety of materials, including stone, clay, wood and bamboo.
The headrests were once a staple of domestic furniture, not only in Africa but in Asia and Oceania. They represent the aesthetics of their respective cultures and are both symbolic and utilitarian.
The exhibit shows Zairian and Melanesian figurative, wooden headrests, as well as Chinese delicately glazed porcelain and Japanese rattan-woven pillows, and much more.
“Sleeping Beauties” runs through Dec. 9 in the airport’s International Terminal Main Hall departures lobby. It is free to view the exhibit.
