Handpicked

Handpicked is an exhibit of art jewellery focussing on makers’ hands. Photos of hands at work are transformed into picture jewellery on wooden bases.

Handpicked – Concept Note

Through our hands, we interact with the world around us. We touch, pull, push, carry, signal, make, break, hold, care, and help with our hands. Consider the hands of a maker. The fingers are dry, and the pads pruney. The nails are often chipped and stained. Almost always, there is evidence of the project they are currently working on. Furthermore, as their hands touch every part of the object they create, their essence transfers to it. Every aspect of it draws from the experiences and memories of the maker. While these handprints maybe eventually rubbed away, the object contains within itself the intent of the maker and the touch of their hands. It is for that human connection we buy handmade.

However, the hands that create do not get the credit they deserve. Even when we proudly state the name of the maker, the brand, or the collective that made the piece we are wearing, we tend to ignore the actual hands that made the piece.

Handpicked by Divya N exhibition for NYCJW wooden pendants

Art Jewellery on the street

The photographic representation of hands is not new. However, it is restricted to galleries remaining as artsy prints. By wearing the photographs on the body, we initiate a dialogue about the lives of the makers. Further, moving art jewellery from elite gallery space to the street expands the scope of art jewellery as everyday wear. The Handpicked photo series visualises how art jewellery can be worn in India as a part of everyday life. The photos show the various ways in which the jewellery can be styled.

Handpicked further examines how a piece of jewellery transcends the role of adornment into that of communication. While each piece of picture jewellery holds a narrative within itself, it also acts as a conversation starter when worn. Several pieces from the series can be used either as a brooch or a pendant. This gives the wearer control over where the jewellery is worn on the body and how it is viewed.

Credits

The Handpicked photo series was photographed by Ram Keshav, Praneeth Reddy and Divya N in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, India. To show how the street adds value to the jewellery, our volunteer models Ishita Singh and designer Emmanuel Rishabh were photographed with colourful street shops as the background. The neighbourhood vegetable sellers, flower vendors, uncles and aunts, and domestic helpers joined us, becoming a part of the project.

The exhibition was featured on NYCJW22 website, in the Discover section.

Handpicked Exhibition

Hands that dye

Photograph of hands covered with indigo colour as a pendant. Wood, paper, resin, beads | 2022.

Photograph of hands covered with indigo colour as a Brooch | Divya N | Wood, paper, gold foil, resin | 2022

The Indian textile industry is difficult to imagine without Indigo dye. It is inseparable from stories of colonialism, the Indian independence movement and the growth of rural cottage industries. The pendant of this double-stranded glass bead necklace and the brooch pays homage to this craft through the photograph of the pruney dye covered hands.

Handpicked by Divya N exhibition for NYCJW22 Hands that polish

While polishing is the final step in making jewellery, it is a metaphor for the making process in its totality. A lot of effort goes into the stepwise process, and your hands are covered with grime. But at the end of it, you get a beautiful handmade product.

Catch Ishita playing Peek-a-boo with the clothesline on the terrace.

Hands that polish

Photograph of the hands of jeweller polishing jewellery as a pendant| Divya N | Wood, paper, colour pigments, resin, beaded chains | 2022

Hands of a Puppeteer

Pendant necklace by Divya N | Photograph used in pendant by Prerna Kolluri | Wood, paper, acrylic paint, resin, beads | 2022.

Handpicked by Divya N exhibition for NYCJW22 Hands of the puppeteer

“When I pull the strings, the Goddess dances,” Subadramma, an elderly puppeteer, beams happily. “Nobody sees me when I perform behind the screens, but my hands move the story forward,” she says. The pendant is worn as a double-strand bead pendant necklace as Ishita goes shopping for vegetables.

Floral arches are an intrinsic aspect of religious processions and community celebrations in Southern India. Trained hands deftly embellish bamboo structures with flowers, yarn, and twinkling lights to create a spectacle of color. While the outer circle of the pendant is inspired by the floral studs that outline the arch, the inner image is that of an artisan attaching flowers to the wooden frame.

Hands that make floral arches

Photograph of the hands of a decorator creating a floral arch as a pendant | Divya N | Wood, paper, acrylic paint, resin, beaded chains | 2022

Hands that braid leaves

In Tamil Nadu, festive decor equals flower garlands and streamers made of Thazhampoo (fragrant Screw pine). On the day before celebrations the leaves are braided and sold on the roadside. The print shows the hands of an elderly man folding the yellow green leaves to make a streamer. Let’s catch Rishabh on his way to work.

Hands that make garlands

Photograph of the hands of a garland maker as a pendant| Divya N | Wood, paper, acrylic paint, resin, beaded chains | 2022

Flower garlands are a noteworthy part of India’s material culture. From adorning the necks of deities to those of leaders and dignitaries at public functions, they symbolize respect, power, and grace. Captured in this necklace are the hands of the garland maker, Munnuswamy, who makes and sells garlands outside a small streetside Hindu temple. Ishita who is wearing the necklace, buys flowers for him for her temple visit. The pendant can also be worn as a brooch.

Hands that set the warp

Necklace by Divya N | Photograph used in pendant by Meghana Karkada Suresh | Wood, paper, acrylic paint, resin, beaded chain

In handloom weaving, different yarns are combined and transferred to a beam. These warp yarns are detangled and smoothened by hand in preparation for weaving. In the print on the pendant, the weaver prepares silk yarns to weave a saree of contrasting colours.

Hands that Weave

Once the warp is set, weft yarns are introduced by a shuttle to start the weaving process. As the yarns interlace, the fabric is woven. Here are two brooches that exemplify weaving. The brooch with hexagonal cutouts can be worn as a pendant as suspended from a cord or beads.

Hands that embroider

A white shawl embroidered in black and red with geometric floral motifs is the trademark of the Toda tribes of Nilgiris, India. The embroidery known as “Pukhoor” is done by the women of this community. It is a great way to add colour to an ensemble. This brooch can also be worn as a pendant suspended from a cord or beads.

Photograph of hands of a woman doing embroidery as a brooch | Divya N | Wood, paper, color pigments, resin | 2022

Hands that draw kolams

Kolam is a form of transient art drawn using rice flour or chalk powder on the ground. Drawing a kolam is a labour of love. It is not only therapeutic for the person drawing the kolam, it also creates a feel good vibe and positive energy for those who look at it.

The necklace is perfect for a morning walk or an evening stroll by the temple tank to see kolams drawn on the street.

Photograph of hands of woman drawing kolam as a pendant | Divya N | Wood, paper, acrylic paint, resin | 2022

Hands that sculpt

The process of making bronze icons using the lost wax (cire-perdue) has been practiced in Swamimalai in Tamil Nadu for centuries. Through the process of mould making, casting, engraving and polishing, the hands of the makers – the Sthapathis, transform metal into icons for worship.

Ishita, at the end of the day, visits a Navaratri golu to look at handmade dolls.

Photograph of hands of a sculptor by as a pendant necklace | Divya N | Wood, paper, color pigments resin | 2022

From the design desk

I chose wooden bases in the shape of ribbon badges and ID cards used for dignitaries at a conference or political rallies. The ones with cuts outs are derived from votives. All of them signify importance and are an acknowledgement of greatness. By enshrining the photograph of hands in such shapes, I want to stress the importance of making and acknowledge the efforts of makers. My intention here is to equate the process of making to prayer.
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Divya N