The Circle of Hands

 The iconography seen in the Circle of Hands artworks is derived from Day 1, Light from the series In Seven Days…

The first in the cycle of seven prints, this piece represents the multifaceted beginning of this story, it refers to the Genesis story of creation when light was made from, and out of, darkness. This piece is really about what must happen for any important story to begin. 

The artwork was inspired by the Democratic National Convention at the Mile High Stadium in Denver, where Obama formally accepted the nomination as the presidential candidate, it was the first official day of his path to the White House. It was also the first of seven trips that Nicola Green made to the United States to witness President Obama’s campaign, so it was the beginning of her journey too.

The iconography of the circle of hands represents the incredible eruption of energy from the 84,000 people in the stadium on that day. This whole series has an overarching theme of hands, and body language, and the unspoken ways in which we communicate. In this image the hands are united, it represents the people of the world coming together to achieve the seemingly impossible. It is a powerful example of how non-verbal gestures often embody or communicate so much more than words.

The Democratic National Convention took place on the 28th August, 2008 - this a key date as many significant events, particularly pertaining to African American culture, have occurred on this day throughout history. This was not only the day President Obama accepted the Democratic nomination, but also the anniversary of the UK Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.

Green had conversations with people who had been in Washington on that day, which were hugely impactful on the how she viewed this artwork. It was just about the President himself, but the wider trajectory of the history of Obama’s campaign. She realised it would be many years before we could truly understand the impact of this upon the next generation and beyond.