Exploration 1

1. I have arguably the softest hands of any man I know.

2. When my fingers are spread out, the webbing between them together form shallo
w arc.
3. I have a double jointed thumb
*-The phalanges are the finger bones. Fingers 2 -4 are made up of three phalange
s. The thumb has two phalanges. [Phalanx]
4. the phalanges of my fingers- excepting the pinky- each measure approximately
one inch.
I chose this picture because it encapsulates all the other observations I made.
Exploration 1
Principally, I observed the overriding geometricity of the my hand; how that it
's structure could generally be represented as a circle. This circle has its cen
tre or pivot in the hollow of the palm.
Next, I observed that When fully stretched out, my index finger and pinky togeth
er form a right angled triangle, and along with the two other fingers form a sec
tor; a quarter of the said circle.
Also, when fanned out so the webs are fully stretched, the base of the fingers f
orm an arc, along which the fingers sit as rays; a radiation which may also tra
ce it's root to the exact centre of the palm This pattern is again repeated wit
h the rows of creases on the fingers. In this imaginary geometry these creases w
ill also form several concentric circles within the larger circle.
Finally, I observe that ; excepting the pinky, the phalanges of my fingers each
measure approximately one inch.
My other consideration in chosing this has to what I considered it's potential f
or further exploration and development as a design idea[ concept]. The radial na
ture immediately suggests several interesting forms I could incorporate in desig
n.

Exploration 2
The hand has memory of it's own; at least the fingers on mine do.
A few years ago, when my circumstances were distinctly better, I found myself i
n a queue in a shop, clutching bargains. To my horror, on arriving at the till,
I realised that having not used that store's card for a long time, I had comple
tely forgotten the PIN for it. To add to my chagrin, it was one of those places
where anyone looking like me was presumed to possess stolen cards.
At the dreaded moment however, when I had to key in my number, a thought occurre
d to me: that; the hand, that could remember and play complex guitar chords even
in total darkness, could certainly remember any paltry sequence of four numbers
, and in their correct order!
I closed my eyes; and my fingers did their magic.
I have since used that technique to recall telephone numbers I could otherwise b

arely remember.
Exploration 3
Much of my communication takes the form of me negotiating my way with, and aroun
d others of my species, and also to a large extent, with machines and other com
plex physical interfaces; but rarely ever with animals.
However, as a Christian; given to the idea of God; a superior, supra-natural, an
d all encompassing
being to whom I owe my existence and sustenance, communication necessarily takes
on an interesting and challenging aspect, beyond that of ordinarily addressing
man, machine, and beast.
It has the added dimension of prayer; which is; me marshalling and adapting my g
estures to convey
my dependence, devotion and fealty to a non-corporeal, albeit existent and super
ior entity. It is
grounded in the belief that he does see, and can interpret what my gestures sign
ify.
In prayer my hands come together as in this picture; the tightness or otherwise
of the clasp
invariably mirroring the earnestness of my plea and the exigency of my circumst
ances.
Reflect
After my face, my hands may arguably be the most noticeable, and, in my case, th
e most expressive
part of my body. Strange, then, that I had never really given them much thought
until led to do so
in the assignment. I have come to wonder how much of what I am, and aspire to be
has to do
directly with my hands and the things I can do with them.
The most difficult thing in this exercise had to be the task of selecting only t
hree pictures out of a pool of so many. Each picture seemed for me to be equally
interesting. In the end my criteria for choosing these 3 were what I conside
red to be their potential for further creative storytelling and development.
In spite of my fear that it might not be immediately recognisable as a gesture o
f prayer; I am
particularly pleased with the third photo. I am happy with the fact that it is s
hot from my
perspective; reflecting, and lending to the notion of prayer as a deeply person
al and individual act which emanates from me, and in my case,sadly, tends to be
largely about me and my needs.
The one technical challenge I encountered was how to take a photo of both hands
in my chosen
gesture, and from my perspective; I had recourse to a feature on my camera I had
never used before:
the self-timer; and a tripod.
If I was to do this week s work again I would contrive to make it tell a more pers
onal story of how
my hands now look very much like my fathers at the same age as me now. In my pic
ture of him

in an academic gown, every last crease and wrinkle on his hands is mirrored on m
ine. They could
easily pass for mine, excepting the fact that where he held a rolled-up doctoral
diploma, I'm yet
to find an NVQ.
Concept 1
Tried out idea with 2 of them; symmetry/reflected formed a near perfect circle;
as I had envisioned it would. Discarded the idea as the result; an orb with ray
s seemed rather commonplace and unoriginal, in spite of me arriving at it by ver
y original thinking and process.
I chose this picture because it encapsulates all the other observations I made.
I like it because it allows me to explore utilize the radial structure of the ha
nd itself as the key element of the design., whilst at the same time allowing me
to depict the repeat pattern of the phalanges and the creases which divide them
.
The imagery of the sun and it's rays; here formed by the digits radiating from t
he palm, succinctly depict 2 of my vital personal characteristics; warmth and c
reativity.
here ambiguous as to whether it's rising or setting; I like the discourse that c
an engender; lending it a multifacetedness that is stimulating and ....
Concept 2...
DIGITAL RECALL
analysed for bits to enhance and emphasise in order to convey idea I wanted to .
..
Naming:[ Motif] thinking of a title first helped with arrangement, and also pr
ovide a framework
Decided to interpret it as...
[Moving] What I do.
I considered... but decided... because...
Concept 3...
Taking the view that language is the window of the soul, one could conclude that
writing is the glazing on that window It either lets you see into that room or
it doesn't
The text I have chosen mimics the Jewish script of the Hebrew alphabet or 'Alep
h-bet'.
While prayer may well be a universal phenomena, my own understanding and practi
ce of it is buttressed in the Judeo-Christian tradition, hence my choice of this
pseudo-hebraic text which, for me, suggests the jewish wellspring of my faith .
I consider that it depicts the sum of ideas and ideals held in common by all th
e faiths; which have , arguably, derived from Jewish history and traditions.
The text also lends a mystical appeal to the composition; the exotic mysticism o
ne tends to associate with ephemera from the Near East.
The above considerations aside, I think the type is immensely good for display :
it is easily readable
scaled up, or down .
My final consideration is the ease with which it can be drafted. I just imagine
myself with a square pen, held at a slight angle!

Preparation
I have chosen this because I like its simplicity
I believe it is eye catching and unusual;
It's simplicity, and the fact it's a single colour should make it eminently repr
oducible
=buttressed the rays(vertical lines) giving the a taper
Generally thickenned lines to make them visble from what I consider a practical
distance for observers.
Making
Even though no text I still had to flip it in printing; as it has to be right-re
ading.
-Choose photo and rich black in order to have the darkest black possible.
=Allow to dry for awhile
-Heat iron as instructed
-Press shirt a bit to flatten out
-Align print on shirt and press for... minutes
Wait few seconds and peel to reveal print.
Reflect [What went well, and what didn t go so well? What might you do differently
if you were to repeat the process?]
My chief gripe; my own preparation. I focused rather overly on the what I percie
ved to be daunting; writing so many hundreds of words. The dread of this actuall
y caused me to have a mental block; so much so I even considered dropping out.
It called for a degree of introspection I didn'nt think I possessed; at least in
a form that could be articulated passably.
My other difficulty must have been hesitancy; my having to refrain from giving m
yself free rein; anticipating that although this was an exercise in creativity o
ne still had to anticipate specific learning outcomes, and follow instructions a
s outlined.