At one point, I often commuted between France and Germany. I had just finished sculpting a very heavy hard-hat out of acacia wood, with a big X sign on the front that alluded to Malcolm X. Wearing this solid wooden helmet, I arrive at Düsseldorf airport. I get through German customs without trouble… The police don’t bat an eyelid. All is well. I get on the plane. I settle down. Suddenly everything gets complicated. A steward comes towards me and asks me to take my hat off. Apparently, unlike the security guards, the flight attendants consider someone wearing a wooden hat as potentially dangerous. I ask him why – to which he answers that I must remove it. I indicate someone sitting in front of me wearing a cap and express my surprise that they can keep theirs on their head. Furious, the steward reiterates his request without giving more explanations and adding that the plane will not take off until I have removed the hat. The conversation was starting to go around and around in circles… passengers then took sides: the plane had to take off; some pleaded an important meeting, others a connecting flight… Discontent was growing… I ended up relenting. The moment I put the hat by my side, the engine started up.

translation by Caroline Hancock