I H O L D Y O U
I N M Y H A N D
icon
A B O U T
I Hold You In My Hands is a participatory art engagement that centres the voices and lived experiences of our Silver generation, inviting senior participants to reflect on the theme of values—those they have inherited, embodied, and wish to pass on.
Grounded in the belief that the human hand is both a physical and metaphorical archive, the project adapted a deeply personal method of engagement: the casting of palm lines that featured the contours of their palms into a malleable surface. These acts of imprinting, both delicate and deliberate, served as rituals of reflection. The participants were encouraged to interpret the etched lines of their palms as life paths, each wrinkle and ridge a marker of hardship, joy, transformation, and enduring beliefs.
Through guided conversations and storytelling sessions, participants traced their personal histories, mapping out their journeys, milestones, and the values that shaped their lives.
E N G A G E M E N T
I Hold You in My Hands is a community arts initiative by Silver Arts, organised by the National Arts Council in partnership with Care Corner and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
This ten-week engagement brought together thirteen participants from the Merdeka and Baby Boomer generations. Through a series of reflective workshops, participants explored their lived experiences and the values they’ve carried across time, often unspoken, yet deeply felt.
This process created space for the participants to reveal parts of themselves not usually seen: their inner truths, their quiet strength, and the enduring significance of the lives they have led. More than an art-making experience, I Hold You in My Hands became a gentle excavation of identity, where their hands became vessels of meaning, and every line a testament to a life of value.
In this moment of contemplation, the participants trace the lines of their palms, employing translucent overlays and colored pens as they map out the stories embedded
in their hands, transforming lived experience into visual language. These
gestures become acts of remembering, honouring the values and truths they have carried through life.
Through the delicate act of casting, the participants pressed their palms into the material, creating delicate impressions that capture the intricate lines etched by time. These lines serve as visual metaphors for their life journeys, etching their memories, experiences, and values they carry with them.
Participants carefully selected the palm cast that resonated most deeply with them, one that best captured the textures and memories they wished to carry forward into their final artwork. This marked a moment of reflection and intention, where each choice became an affirmation of self and meaning.
The participants
expanded their initial sketches, weaving in symbols that reflected their values and life journey they hold dear. Each mark became their resilient expression of meaning, memory, and personal truth.
The participants engaged in one-on-one consultations with the artist, refining the composition and deepening the symbolism in their artworks, transforming personal reflections into cohesive visual narratives.
Displayed within a vibrant, light-filled installation, the final works are framed as portals into personal memory. Set against the National Library, the artwork invites passersby to pause and witness the quiet power of reflection and personal story. Each frame holds a fragment of a life: a palm’s imprint, a traced journey, a symbol of value etched from within.