KAORI-MEI  STEPHENS

Staying grounded in present life can be easier said than done. Through hands, physical touch can reconnect me to the world, to myself, the hands themselves acting as a reminder of life. Since they’ve become this constant reminder, I see a lot of  the world through my hands. They help work through situations where being present is a challenge, and are personal protectors that everyone in some way is born with. When I feel like I'm losing that sense of existence in the world, I find myself grasping at ways around me to stay grounded, and oftentimes failing. But, there's a comfort that can be found in watching my hands interact with the world, and in knowing that I am still present. At the same time, this process forces me to remember that my hands are a part of me, and a self reflection happens naturally. It is an interesting process to physically depict the protective hands, while using my hands in real time for the creation process; it holds a cathartic nature, and the intended result is to feel that powerful and grounding force within myself. With this in mind, each person has power in their hands, and with power, responsibility. People often use the term, I’ll leave this in your hands, making the hands synonymous with responsibility and care, but also equating the hands to the person, on a more intimate level. Some of the hands in these pieces are working to represent the experience in navigation of self, and loss of identity, through hands.