Thinking Hands studio creates responsibly designed products, toolkits, and experiences. It emphasizes the importance of using our hands and in return awaken newer eye-hand-mind connections. It’s an endeavor to find paths towards simple, slow, and decluttered acts that can give a sense of content. People driving the studio have always believed in finding new meanings and purposes by making deeper connections and adding value to resources that would have otherwise seen the end of their life cycle.
‘We Create What Sustains’ is our motto and we strongly believe in creating products and experiences that last in time and memory. In general, products depreciate in value with time but here we consciously design products which appreciates with time. Most of our products are made in solid timber as a primary material which are off-cuts, which otherwise have limited applications. We as a design and manufacturing setup take this as an enjoyable challenge and a journey. This gives an opportunity to understand the material better and explore new languages.
Our approach for sustaining our enterprise is by being ‘lean’ in the responsible use of resources. This helps us to make new shifts, possibilities, and directions comfortably. It allows us to be more connected with our Thinking Hands.
We have been conducting hands-on workshops in the wood where kids and grown-ups of all ages come and delve into the process of making. A day or two in-studio workshop experience is all about slowing down and getting connected with oneself through their hands. Apart from the process of learning skills and techniques, imbibing the aspect of feeling connected with your eyes- hand- minds becomes paramount. One also learns to appreciate handmade, handcrafted objects, the importance of workmanship, and the effort that goes into it.
‘Thinking Hands’ is inspired by Juhani Pallasmaa’s book The Thinking Hand where the author reveals the miraculous potential of the human hand. He puts across the multiple essences of the hand, its biological evolution and its role in the shaping of culture. The studio strongly believes in the importance of the tool being the extension of the hand and its relevance in dexterity and how ultimately the body and the senses play a crucial role in memory and creative work. We intend to take this further and continue ‘Thinking with our Hands’.