16/8/17 - Day 10 / Week 2: Hand Casting

We have been engaging residents just after meals in the dining rooms (there are two, one on each floor) as these are the most 'communal' spaces and, because the lounge is small and situated at the end of a corridor, people tend to spend a lot of time in their own rooms. There are three meals a day, 9 - 10am, 1-2pm and 5-6pm - the days evolve around food!
Developing the idea of touch and mark making as types of portraiture and ways of expressing identity that we have begun with the thumb / finger prints, we wanted to do some hand casting. The smell and the spongy feel of the alginate, especially as it sets around the hand and the realistic detail left in the plaster make it a really multi-sensory process.Starting with an image of sculpture by Louise Bourgeois means anyone who has trouble with movement can discuss art and ideas and why someone would make a model of an arm with hands at either end ("It's a weapon")

 

The time and space of the residency has allowed us to find different ways of engaging people with different needs. We worked with a quiet woman yesterday in her room. First we sat for about 10 mins and just massaged hands; a non-verbal way of saying hallo. She watched us prepare the alginate in the bucket - she was determined she wasn't sticking her hand in there but, when we suggested it, she did quite fancy dipping her finger in a small amount of it scooped on a spoon!
We have also been able to push ideas and explore the materials and processes we use in the annexe space.