Hands, be my witness

Curatorial Thesis

Kay Arthur Brito & Carine Harmand

Being the paramount element of a human body, the head leads our verbal and nonverbal expression. Also, it encases our mind, our conscious, subconscious, emotions, logic: it processes our senses, intentions and (in)sanity. The head, although a singular, and probably the least dependent of our other human parts, requires its “peers” to execute its thoughts.

On the other side, the hand, as one of humankind’s preferred tools, is the most efficient and multi-task- ing extension available to our head. Our hands are multifaceted, capable of performing gentle and precise actions or heavy labour, to touch or caress, to feel texture, weight, form; or, simply express, and especially, express the unspeakable. Being one of the most active demonstrators of human expression, the hand has found itself to also be an icon of communication since the dawn of Art, evidenced by the hand prints that appear to be a recurring image amongst the early human expressions on the walls of Prehistoric caves.

The title of the project, mixing the words head and hands, reflects that both body parts are creators of the verbal and non-verbal cues we use to communicate. Considering the idea that “The head is more informa- tive about the nature of an emotion [...], while the body is more informative about the intensity of an emo- tion”*, Ricardo looks at how the body translates the ‘intensity’ of the emotional and mental state of the head, and how it, too, verbalizes its inquiries in a unique but valid language. More precisely, his work focuses on how hands can reflect the “nature” of one’s emotion.

As an artist, Ricardo Pinto Jorge knows that creation depends on the ability to think and question, to be aware of what is often ignored or taken for granted, but he also believes that the hands that create have further stories to share. The intricacy of creating such stories is most likely one of the driving forces behind his interest in exploring the idea that the hand has, in many ways, replaced the eye as the window to the soul. The intended dialogue in Heands Up is about the synchronicity and disassembly existing between thought, emotion, action, the conscious and the subconscious. It analyses the intrinsic ways in which we manifest all these forms of our minds, at times with or without control, allowing for the utmost honest mannerisms, even when unknown. Heands Up is a rhythmic dance between intention and realization. It delves into strategies of avoidance, denial and honesty.Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

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* EKMAN and V. FRIESEN, 1967, p. 712.