Odds and quads

They are currently on display in the university library, where some will remain in the collection, although others are due to be shown at a gallery in Yorkshire and in Eindhoven during Dutch Design Week.

Ms Howley said she was fascinated by the fact that "people can feel opposing emotions about the same material, depending on where they see it".

Although we often admire others' hair or take pride in our own, we feel very differently once it has been cut off. Ms Howley said: "I wanted to see if I could make discarded hair attractive again. I hoped to create a delicate balance between feelings of aversion and attraction."

Taking inspiration from wallpaper patterns, Ms Howley used hair from a friend's mother and broken saw blades to put the delicate neck pieces together.

Some of her other artworks - which are also made from human hair - have recently been used to promote an exhibition at the Louvre.

Send suggestions for this series on the treasures, oddities and curiosities owned by universities across the world to: matthew.reisz @tsleducation.com.