gestures say a lot more than words
beyond words
‘Beyond words’ is a way of understanding worldview.
Delves into the unspoken aspects of human
conversations, highlighting the significance of subtle hand gestures that often go unnoticed but play a crucial role in shaping our interactions and relationships.
Type.
Thesis Project
Subject.
Hand gesture
Duration.
6 month
2024
Sectors.
Visual storytelling, Linguistic study, Installation design
Understanding hand gestures of the world
Why do people gesture during conversations?
While i was researching I came across a ted talk of a body language expert who mentioned that ‘We tend to use hand gesture more when we’re talking about spatial concepts – like giving directions or giving instructions on how to operate something'.
This process included a series of interviews. The interviews were based on the study mentioned above. The interview had two phases; One where giving a prompt about describing their home, neighbourhood, location and the second phase was to talk about a personal space in there home.
Inteviewee: Shubham Jumde, Ruchira Biswas, Sugandh Agarwal and Prekshit Satyarthi.
Elements of personal communication
A personal communication consists of 3 elements. the major chunk is the body language which is 55% of it; 38% of the communication depends on the voice and tone of the person and past but the smallest bit is spoken word which is 7% of the personal communication.
From ambiguity to specificity
Refining the research approach
Based on the previous set of interviews, it became clear that the concept of "home" was too ambiguous and broad, making it difficult to identify similarities and patterns. Although the interviews were not successful in achieving their initial goal, they provided valuable clarity and perspective. They highlighted the need to be more specific and to establish a common thread that can help identify those moments and patterns more effectively.
So, this set of interview was focused on a mug, a simple, everyday item used commonly in most households.
Based on the question, I started conducting interviews where I asked people to:
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Describe your favorite mug or a memorable mug from the past.
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Look at this mug and describe it.
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Think of a spherical object and describe it without using words.
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Describe the moon, sun, and earth in terms of form, size, and shape.
The aim is to investigate how different mental models influence people's reactions to the same prompts/questions, including how they subtly use their hands while discussing the same subject. The study focuses on identifying and understanding the patterns in their responses.
Visual iterations for gestural animation
While investigating, I began creating visuals to add my unique touch to the research. These visuals represented the iterations for the visual language of the stop-motion animation, graphically depicting gestures. I experimented with a range from very abstract to very direct representations of hands to give the project a distinctive twist.
Gestural Research: From theory to exhibition
Theoretical perspectives of speech and gesture propose that they share a common conceptual origin and have a tight integrated relationship, overlapping in time, meaning and function to enrich the communicative context.
For now, the study concluded by exploring various methods of graphically representing the research. Four pieces were exhibited:
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Beyond Words: Short documentary presented as a silent film, capturing the essence of the research.
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Timeless Motion: Series of two-and-a-half-dimensional posters illustrating how gestures remain timeless in motion.
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A Moment of Silence: 3D installation featuring a series of hand gestures from an interview, pausing in time to emphasize the significant impact these gestures have in our lives.
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Echoes of the Past: Pieces of fabric documenting a conversation from the past that continues to resonate with us.
Beyond Words
The study focused on the ways in which we interpret and perceive each other unconsciously. Gentle hand gesture-lines surfaces parts of human conversation that hold tremendous weight yet remain unspoken. How we interpret each other from moment to moment is spoken through lines on the periphery, intersecting within daily and ritual conversation representing a vast unspoken landscape that permeates how we feel and perceive one another.
'beyond words' is a compilation of the research in a form of a short documentary presented as a silent film, capturing the essence of gestures being captured.
Timeless Motion
Timeless Motion is a a series of two-and-a-half-dimensional posters that creatively illustrate the enduring nature of gestures. Each poster captures dynamic hand movements and expressions frozen in time, demonstrating how these gestures transcend specific moments and continue to convey meaning and emotion across different contexts. By presenting gestures in a way that emphasizes their fluidity and continuity, the series highlights the timeless quality of human motion and interaction.
A moment of silence
'A moment of silence' is an installation piece which captures a series of hand gestures taken from an interview, meticulously recreated in transparent layers of acrylic sheets. Each layer represents a distinct moment, freezing the hand gestures in time and space. By presenting these gestures in a paused sequence, the installation invites viewers to reflect on the non-verbal communication that occurs in everyday interactions. The layered effect emphasizes the continuity and flow of gestures, highlighting their significant impact and the deep, often subconscious meanings they convey.
Thesis exhibition gallery
ashna shah
