Hand x Hand

Hand x Hand is a participatory sculpture designed to promote anonymous hand-holding.

Scientific research has determined that holding the hand of another person, whether it is a loved one or a stranger, has a tremendous impact on our physical and mental health. Benefits range from increases in oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine levels; increases in the immune system’s cytotoxic capacity; a lowering of blood pressure; and a triggering of the orbital frontal cortex within the brain. This form of haptic communication becomes a symbolic symbiosis of human contact. Because of the physical separation between the two hand-holders, Hand x Hand diminishes specificity and identity. The hand you are holding may be familiar or it may be strange - you do not know - but the internal exchange between people is equal. Experiential awareness is heightened through this sensory limitation and the unavoidable border between individuals becomes both a separating and unifying force. In an anonymous transfer of mental and physical betterments, Hand x Hand offers a subtle passage of healing touch that is simultaneously private and shared / personal and public.