HANDOGRAPHY
Cynosuric Bodies
by Susan E. Green-Mateu & Margaret Schedel
Perception
Inspired by Merleau-Ponty
Instructions:
Look at your hands and decide which hand will be the touched hand, Hand 1 (H1), and which will be the touching hand, Hand 2 (H2).
Lightly grasp H1 with H2 so that H2’s thumb is in the palm of H1.
Fold H1’s fingers lightly over H2’s thumb. Rest H2 fingers on the back or the other side of H1.
Now explore what you feel when wiggling the fingers on H1 or apply pressure from H2.
Try switching the touched and touching hands.
Lightly grasp H2 with H1 so that hand 1’s thumb is in the palm of H2. Fold H2 fingers lightly over H1’s thumb. Rest H1’s fingers on the back or the other side of H2.
Explore what you feel by wiggling the fingers on H2 and pressure from H1.
Model: Erin Leigh, Photo: Lina Espada
Reflection:
What did you feel: skin, muscles, tendons, bone, warmth, intention?
What happened when you increased the pressure?
How would you describe the difference before it switched?
Can you make a gesture that captures this difference?
Can you create a sound about the experience of reversing your perception?
Multi-Dimensional Isolation
Inspiration: who was that timbre I saw you with by The Higgs whatever
Instructions, Part 1:
Position Hand 1 with elbow anchored to a tabletop, wrist upright & hand open.
Brace Hand 1’s wrist with Hand 2 to isolate and keep the wrists from turning the hand right or left.
Perform this series of movements:
-Bend H1 wrist as far back as possible with fingers outstretched, palm facing up & hand completely open.
-Slowly bend wrist to bring hand 1 forward with fingers outstretched until palm is facing down.
-With palm in this position bring H1 fingers together as if making the shape of a birds’ beak with fingertips pointed downward.
-Slowly tuck H1 thumb toward palm and bend fingers into fist.
Now perform these motions in reverse order:
-Untuck fingers and thumb into a birds beak with fingers pointed downward.
-Release fingers and slowly bend the wrist back so palm and hand are aligned with Hand 1’s anchored elbow then bend wrist backward so that the palm is facing up with outstretched fingers.
Repeat this series of movements slowly forwards & backwards for a bit.
Notice any fluidity of movement. Feel free to pause the video.
Instructions, Part 2:
Now release H1’s wrist so that your hand can twist right and left.Keep elbow anchored to the table and try the series of movement in all directions, backwards and forwards.
Twist your wrist in order to aim your palm right or left as you go.
Notice the space that your hand traces as it moves in all directions.
This is the Kinesphere of your hand.
Instructions, Part 3:
With Hand 1’s elbow still anchored to the table, tuck your fingers into your palm leaving thumb outstretched.
Slowly release one finger at a time until all 4 fingers are released and pointing up. Then, bend them one by one back into a fist.
Now try this with your thumb tucked into your palm under your fingers in a fist.
As you release your fingers, notice how each finger effects the next.
You may also try releasing & tucking fingers in a different order paying attention to ease of motion and what combination of fingers helps or inhibits each fingers movement.
As always, Pause the video if need be.
Reflection
Which finger combinations felt more fluid?
Where did you notice more fluidity/limitations in range of motion?
Consider your hands’ Kinesphere. If you were to create a work that features the hands motion as a controlling factor, would you use ALL of your possible ranges of motion in:
Choreography?
A Composition?
How about in programming for technological mediation of movement to media?
Which parameters and movements would you use?
Which parameters would you leave out? and why?
Now consider these same questions applied to diverse kinespheres.
Model: Erin Leigh, Photo: Lina Espada
Model: Erin Leigh, Photo: Lina Espada
Model: Erin Leigh, Photo: Lina Espada
((re) frame/bound)
Inspiration: Locus by Jung In Jung
Items needed: tabletop & 4 rubberbands
Instructions, Part 1:
Start with hands parallel, decide which hand will be the anchor hand and which will be the dancer hand. Anchor the anchor hands’ elbow to the table.
Let your dancer hand hover over and dance around the anchor hand.
Notice your personal style of hand dancing, combinations of movement & gestures, flexibility, limitations, patterns and any mirroring from your anchor hand.
Instructions, Part 2:
Place 1 rubber band on each finger. Interlace the opposite hands' same finger into the other side of the rubber band.
As before, Start with hands parallel with one anchored and the other as dancer as it dances on and around the anchor hand.
Now dance WITH the anchor hand.
Make sure that the rubber bands stay on your fingers and be careful so that they don’t snap or slip off.
Notice the difference in combinations of movement & gestures, flexibility, limitations, patterns and any mirroring from your anchor hand.
Reflection
How did you collaborate with restrictions introduced by the rubber bands?
How did restriction effect your:
gesture choices, speed of motion, moments of movement,
focus, breathing, speed of your movement,
perception of place, space and time
What else did you discover once restrictions were introduced?
Model: Erin Leigh, Photo: Lina Espada
Model: Erin Leigh, Photo: Lina Espada
Shadows of Light
Inspiration: Inter-Act by Susie Green & Flesh/Light/Movement by Margaret Schedel
Items needed: Light source/flashlight, blank surface/wall. Optional grid.
Instructions, Part 1:
Position your light source so that your hands are free to cast shadows onto your surface of choice.
Notice the shape of your hands and any similarities or differences between them. Try occluding one hand behind the other. Flip one of your hands so that both are oriented in the same way.
Play with the size of your shadow by bringing your hand further and closer to the light.
Notice the scale of your hands shadows changing.
If you have a grid on your surface imagine each box as a trigger for a sound or color.
Reflection:
What did you notice about the shape of your hands?
What were the similarities and differences between them in shape?
How about in flexibility?
If a grid was used, were you able to imagine each box as a sound or light trigger?
Consider your hand shape/dexterity, how would you design an interactive sound/light experience for yourself?
Instructions, Part 2:
Invite a friend to use their hands to cast a shadow on the surface with you.
Challenge one another to hand dance-off. Try to mimic one another’s movements while watching your shadows.
Notice the differences between one another hands shapes and sizes.
Try moving your hands closer and further from the light source at different times.
Notice the size difference and if you’re using a grid notice the scale of your hands and the percentage of boxes that are filled with your shadows.
Notice similarities & differences in flexibility & range of motion of one another’s movements.
If using a grid, think about how similar gestures performed by each of you would tigger sound or light differently.
Reflection
Consider the similarities and differences between people.
If you were to design an interactive experience to be performed by two people-
Which gestures would you include?
What movements would you choreograph?
What would be the correlation between movement and sound?
How about movement and light or color?
Entaglement
Inspired by III:Once Removed by Teoma Naccarato & John MacCallum
Items Needed: Metronome or computer/phone with any text program with a blinking cursor.
Instructions, Part 1:
Start with your hands palms facing one another in parallel.
Place the index or first finger and middle or second finger of one hand on the pulse point at the wrist of the opposite hand.
Hands will likely face opposite directions with one above the other. Feel the pulse.
Now keeping hands in this position, tap one of your pinkies against the opposite hand in rhythm with your pulse.
Reflection
Did you find the rhythm constant?
Was it easy to anticipate?
Did it fluctuate?
Instructions, Part 2:
Place the first and second fingers of each hand on the pulse points on side of your neck.
Right hand to right side, left hand to left side.
Focus your awareness on the pulse on your right side.
Switch your awareness to the pulse on the left side.
Now, focus on both sides.
Keeping hands in this position, tap both of your pinkies against your jaw or face in time with your pulse.
Now begin humming any simple song, perhaps s nursery rhyme from childhood, in rhythm with your pulse while still tapping pinkies.
Reflection
Did you keep pace with your pinkies?
How was the pacing of your song?
Did you pulse, pinkies and song align?
Instructions, Part 3:
Just as in part two place the 1st and 2nd fingers of each hand at the pulse points on either side of your neck.
Tap pinkies in time with your pulse.
Begin humming your simple tune, but this time hum in time to a metronome or the blinking cursor on the screen.
Reflection
What did you notice about your sense of time and timing?
Did of the following elements pull your focus: feeling, tapping, humming, hearing or seeing?
Did these elements ever align?
Model: Susie Green, Photo: Lina Espada
Model: Erin Leigh, Photo: Lina Espada
Logarithmic spiral attribution- By Ag2gaeh - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81406864
Outreach
Inspiration: Audimance by KineticLight
Instructions:
Think about the handography above.
Create a new dance performance/choreography.
Focus on accessibility for visually impaired audiences
using the embodied knowledge you have gained.
Reflection
What would a traditional audio description of this piece be?
How would you rather augment your performance for someone who is vision impaired?
Think about technological accessibility, how would you “render this dance in sound?”
