hands as tools
So frequently across all human cultures we have such variety in how we use our hands and what for. Here I wanted to bring together a few areas that interest me in how this tool-use compares and differs with varying purpose and ability.
- Handcrafts, needlework to woodwork
- String instruments and fingering, piano
- Hand based metrics and measurements, hand counting
- Massage and similar
- Hand-arm-shoulder symphony
- Hand based injury, tendons etc and rest, arthritis, joints
- Hand anatomy and mechanics, fine dexterity
- Public functions reliant on hand function eg types of door handles and tools for this
- Hand prosthetics, tremors, balance, control and grip, and supporting tools for this
- force enhancement for operating large machinery eg using moment, leverage, gears
- Fingertips, identity, sensitivity
- Hand-based analogies, phrases, iconography, symbolism etc
- Stimming and fidgeting with hands, tools for regulation
- Body focused repetitive behaviour with the hands- nail biting, nail picking, skin picking, scratching, plucking
- How amputees replace hand function
- Hands in sports and performance, proper form, shadow puppets
- Tools for communication - sign, Braille and touch-sign
- does experiencing the world through your hands a deafblind person station you in your body more down there than up here (ie sight-primary-sense people often associate their soul or self or embodiment as in their head, in their brain or behind the eyes) - does their psyche deprioritise the upper parts or is the biological imperative too strong or possibly the social implications of facial expression (or at least face/gaze direction) overrides this
- as very sensitive tools for pleasure and affection
- comparing the style of hand-protection worn in specific professions eh archery glove, artist glove, shamisen player hand thing, cycling gloves, those ring splint things