LANGUAGE OF HAND
The project examines the role of crafts in building communities. The project researches the meaning of crafts for various people, and the potential benefits to them. The market for crafts in the UK is huge, but this project aims to promote craft practice over buying craft products.
A social intervention within Kingston upon Thames, the project unfolds with a series of hands-on making workshops. The focus is on local spaces for open community interaction: New Malden Public Library, Hogsmill Community Garden, and The Victoria pub in Surbiton. The workshops were attended by people from widely different backgrounds and age groups. Participants were asked to identify and share a social, political, environmental or personal issue that is important to them. The creative process was to then support people to visualise their stories.
The project culminates in a zine containing a body of 20 artworks and personal stories on a range of topics including mental health, body positivity, climate change, homelessness, migration and war.
