Hand to Hand: PH & UK Maker Collaboration

Hand to Hand: The Audacity and the Hopeful Rebelliousness of Making

With the speed with which the world changed, this project has taken on a number of forms.  Designed as a trans-continental collaborative project, we had to manage varying political and economic situations, closures, changing roles, time zones.  But as the world shaped into uncertainty, the significance of this project became clearer than ever.

Hand to Hand was intended to be an exchange of Makers—that from a number of circumstances influenced by the pandemic, their perspectives and stories be presented through their work. 

In pairing a Maker from the Philippines, with another Maker from Manchester, we presented them with a platform, a prompt, and the freedom to create.  Behind all the work you’ll see though, are stories.  Stories shared through numerous conversations—articulated insights, emotions, intentions, and experiences.  Throughout all of this, we were afforded the opportunity to slow down and to listen.  And conversation after conversation sparked wonder, gratitude, and admiration—not just for the skill these Makers possess, but an admiration for the bravery and generosity they demonstrate.  

It is inherent in a Maker to bring something of beauty, expression, and relevance into the world, and to persist in doing so in spite of adversity, fear and uncertainty simply sparks an audacious creativity and conviction the world right now simply needs.  It brings hope.  

From intentions of engaging community through conversation, to discovering the relevance of making in today’s climate, to making a difference by sharing stories, to supporting each other through what we make, to creating with a hope for the future—these intentions are literally pressed, knitted, sewn, hammered, fired, soldered, carved, and shaped into creation by hands of ten different makers, who at the end of the day may have made things in the solace and shelter of their respective spaces, but have done so, whether they knew it or not, sharing hands with countless other Makers who continue to persist, who continue to make.

It is their stories we bring to the fore, as told by themselves, as told by their work, as told by their courage to keep on—and to keep on making. For this, we are grateful to each and every participating maker–for their spirit, and for their generosity.

This collaboration would not be possible without the gracious cooperation of the Manchester Craft and Design Centre, through the support of the British Council Philippines.

Marielle Nadal Reyes
Craft MNL, Philippines

Generous Making

Most of the time, we come to an artwork at the end of its creation. We see work in galleries or in pictures, fully formed and perfect. Oftentimes it’s removed, physically and emotionally, from the artist. We don’t see its past forms, the trial versions, the mock ups, the notebooks forming ideas. We can read about the ideas behind the work, but these have also reached their final form. The first ideas that sparked the beginning of the project have already been tailored into a final, conclusive piece. 

This project was an opportunity for me to see craft pieces in a different setting. We asked the 12 makers involved to let us join them on a journey from concept to finished piece. We heard from them as they interpreted a theme through their own lens and wove in their own experiences. What we asked the artists to do was no mean feat — letting us see their creative process, to lay bare their feelings and reactions to the themes set for them. It took a leap of faith to begin a project that had no prescribed outcome, that was as much about the process as it was about a final piece. A phrase that our editor used to describe this has stuck with me: “making this art was an act of generosity”. I am very grateful to have been trusted as an observer of this journey. 

Hand to Hand began in a very different creative landscape than the one we live in now. The project began in a world where international travel was relatively easy and no one had even heard of a Zoom meeting! After the global pandemic brought unprecedented changes to the way we live and work, the project evolved and the themes that we would cover evolved. The artists from Manchester Craft and Design Centre began working with Craft MNL as we closed the doors of our building and entered a second national lockdown. 

As the project progressed, further lockdowns and challenges arose that we had to face as a team. Closing the centre again and returning to lockdown meant time for reflection and the themes we covered were an ideal framework for this. The themes form a portrait of universal experience: family, community, activism, giving and receiving support and returning to the world after lockdown. Even though this project stretched across the world and we all brought our own histories to it, we can see ourselves in every piece made. 

Each piece is an opportunity to reflect on what the theme means to us. What does family mean to us? What does community mean? What do we care most about and what change do we want to see in the world? What support can we give and what support do we need? In this time of crisis, these questions are more important than ever. The work shown here is a celebration of talent, a moment of protest, an act of hope, a sharing of grief, an act of care and of course, an act of generosity. 

For me, Hand to Hand has become its own community. Meeting an international community of artists and makers, seeing new artwork being created, hearing about the amazing activism happening in the Philippines and in Manchester, and getting to know Marielle and Dang has been an amazing experience. 

Laura Feltham
Manchester Craft and Design Centre, UK

View the artworks and the collaboration stories below.