Lauren Oliver uses light as a language to delve into her own identity, experimenting with multiple analogue processes and taking her body as the primary subject of her work. The title translates as split ends, the brittle, dry and oldest parts of the strands of our hair. Throughout her experience with a camera she has consistently turned it towards herself, treating it like a mirror in which to reconcile her disparate parts, driven by a deep-seated need to piece together an identity shaped by her mixed-race background and the perpetual feeling of not quite belonging entirely to one place or culture. Her hair symbolises resilience, endurance and commitment and, like the rings of a tree, bears witness to her experiences, documenting her growth, challenges and well-being; in its split ends and its entirety it is a tangible link to her family and heritage, connecting her to generations past and to the complex tapestry of her lineage.