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HANDS AS SYSTEM
Reimagining connection through touch, material, and circular design
Hand as System is a contemplative editorial and material-based project that investigates how communication design can foster deeper relationships between communities, the natural world, and the systems we live within. Inspired by the Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan and systems thinking by Donella Meadows, this project responds to the urgent need for sustainability and decolonized design practices within the fashion industry.
Using handmade, pale blue paper as a canvas—dyed to evoke calmness and our elemental connection to water—I embroidered geometric and circular forms with wood fragments collected from the alpine landscapes of Joffre Lakes and the riversides of Chilliwack. These forms, grounded in place and shaped by hand, symbolize the five fingers of a hand—each representing human agency, care, and the power of touch in mending systems of disconnection.
By shifting away from fast-paced, extractive fashion practices, this project embodies a slower, more intentional process rooted in craft, community, and ecological reverence. It calls for communication design to act not just as a messenger, but as a bridge between brands, people, and the planet.
CONCEPT + ART DIRECTION
Shara Hamed
DESIGN
Shara Hamed
PHOTOGRAPHY
Shara Hamed
EMBROIDERY + PAPER MAKING
Shara Hamed
TOOLS + MATERIALS
Handmade, Dyed Paper (Pale Blue)
Wood Fragments (Joffre Lakes, Chilliwack River)
Embroidery Thread
DEVELOPED FOR
Studio I, Master of Design Program
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
INSTRUCTOR
Katherine Gileson
SUPERVISOR
Hélène Day Fraser
See the full project here → Link