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The Handbook is a visual archive of gestures used by protestors from the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Bill Protests in 2019-2020. The black-and-white collection comprises an informative vacuum-packed book, a poster showing an infographic of the thirteen hand signals used in the protests, and a video of a scripted performance that reconstructs the human chain and demonstrates the semiotic vocabulary of the hand gestures. By combining these materials, the project questions the conventional understanding of archives and the records they collect.
These three items were donated to the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, where their preservation acknowledges the sociopolitical value of the gestures and the historical events from which they emerged.

Tutors: Anna Engelhardt, Bram Broerse, Gert Staal, Marco Ferrari, Maurits Wouters, Silvio Lorusso, Tereza Ruller, Vit Ruller. Performers: Abby, Kangning, Lili, Till, Victoria. https://www.designacademy.nl/page/642/the-handbook

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DATA VISUALISATION
INSTALLATION
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(Right) Exhibition set-up in Dutch Design Week 2024.

(Left) Exhibition handout in parcel label style. (Right) Barricade set-up with book holder.

Silkscreen Deed of Gift parcel packaging for a publication, an SD card, a poster, and a contract issued by International Institute of Social History.

The Handbook preserved with vacuumed packaging.

The wordmark of The Handbook are silhouettes of hands.

Hand signal was one of the tactics performed by protesters during the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Bill Protests.

Audiences were invited to lean on the barricade to watch the vertical human-scaled video.

Shadow of the barricade was projected on screen as part of the video.

Semiotic Expressions of Five Items, 2024, 3’07”.

Bilingual black texts overlayed with white risograph graphics.