Hands Made

We touch the world, and by touching, we distance ourselves from our surroundings, or create relationships of proximity and intimacy. Increasingly, however, our touch is mediated by technologies that change the way we experience ourselves and others. Begüm Erciyas explores the faculty of touch by focusing on the hands.

In Hands Made, the visitors’ own hands take center-stage. Separated from the rest of the body, yet in intimate proximity to each other, they will be the focal point of a speculation on the past and future of hands, of handwork, and of the sense of touch. What have these hands been busy with and what will they do in the future? Who or what will they touch?

Hands Made invites us to rethink our relation to our hands; to imagine their transformation throughout history and their role in a society to come.

(c) Dirk Rose

The pinnacle of intimacy takes place on a small table during the Spring Performing Arts Festival in Utrecht. The audio installation 'Hands Made' doesn't need much to make the spectators feel great sensations.

Annette Embrechts and Mina Etemad in De Volkskrant (NL) 

[Erciyas] cleverly draws your attention to how fundamental hands are in the experience of reality, despite the fact that we rarely realize it. 'Hands made' makes you realize that our hands make us who we are. We are indeed 'Hands made'.     

Pieter T’Jonck in pzazz (BE)

(c) Dirk Rose

Tour Dates:

5 April 2024                     PACT Zollverein, Essen (DE)  (public tryout)

18-21 May 2024               Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels (BE)  (premiere)

25-27 May 2024               Spring Festival, Utrecht (NL)

27-30 June 2024              Tangente Festival für Gegenwartskunst, St Pölten (AT)

30 Jan - 2 Feb 2025         De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam (NL)      

8-9 February 2025           Radialsystem Berlin (DE)                    

15-16 March 2025           FOG Triennale Milan (IT)                   

25-26 April 2025              DeSingel Antwerp (BE)                     

Concept and direction: Begüm Erciyas 

Sound design: Lieven Dousselaere

Scenography: Élodie Dauguet

Artistic collaboration: Jean-Baptiste Veyret-Logerias, Matthias Meppelink, Britt Hatzius

Dramaturgy: Jonas Rutgeerts

Voices: Britt Hatzius (EN, DE), Rosie Sommers (NL), Jean-Baptiste Veyret-Logerias (FR)

Production management: Maru Mushtrieva

Set realisation: Studio Zuidervaart

Special thanks to: Gaëtan Bulourde, Robert Ochshorn

Production: Outline, www.outlineonline.org

Distribution: Something Great, www.somethinggreat.de

Co-production: DeSingel (Antwerp), Tangente St.Pölten Festival für Gegenwartskunst (St.Pölten), PACT Zollverein (Essen), Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), SPRING Performing Arts Festival (Utrecht) 

Residencies: Kunstenwerkplaats (Brussels), Tokyo Arts and Space (Tokyo), La Ménagerie de Verre (Paris), Kunstencentrum BUDA (Kortrijk)

Supported by Flanders State of the Art and the Tanzpraxis stipend of the Senate Department for Culture