Friday, October 20, 2006

Frida and the Disembodied Hands

Earlier this month on a thriftventure ,I added my latest hand to my disembodied hand collection ,and Karencommented that she shared my strange attraction to ornamental hands,and asked if I had any pix of my collection.I replied to her that I would try to cook something up. So come and get it,wierdness is being served up!
This collection was acquired with the help of my mother who also likes hands.Guess who else had a thing for hands? Miss Magical Kooky-Ookie herself ...Frida Kahlo. Remember her in those surreal hand earings?I thought it only fair that she be featured in my bizarro ,and just right for Halloween, hand collection shoot.This lovely Frida doll is a gift and creation from my sister Durelle.
Like Frida,most of my hands are jewelry,or atleast end up holding some(you may click on any image for up-close ookie).
The pink almost praying hands in the top photo remind me of a prop I once used in a VERY interesting play.I played a character named Wendla in Frank Wedekinds' Spring Awakening,from 1891.Wendlas story arc is essentially ,ridding herself of the nuisance of innocence.In our rather deconstructed and newwave production(you bet those costumes were garbage bags!),I stepped out of the scene ,grabbed a pair of ceramic praying hands ,and addressed the audience Brechtian style!I delivered a passage from a 1950's pamphlet from the Catholic Church,about how one should and should NOT act with the opposite sex. I delivered it with those hands acting as my megaphone and loudly shouting the text ,drill-sargeant style.
This story is absolutely true and is somehow right at home with todays post.I think Frida would approve.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonderful stuff!!! I keep staring adn staring at that photo and seeing more and more! And the Frida doll.....swoon! Frida Kahlo is one of my personal heroines. :)
And the thought of you shouting into praying hands like a megaphone is HYSTERICAL. Oh my....
you rule! :D

Unknown said...

Your sister made the doll? Wow, she is talented! Love it.

PS--I'm mailing your craft swap package today so look for it sometime next week!!

Petula Darling said...

I have a 1940 book on decorating with a section called "Accessories for a Victorian Room" that features a hand vase like yours. When I first looked through the book I thought it was incredibly cool and began dreaming of finding one - and now I find out you have my hand! (hmmm...this is sounding a little Frankensteinian)
I've often wondered what was up with Victorians and disembodied hands - they're featured in lots of cards and books from the time too.

cindy said...

great frida stuff...i love, love, love, frida!

StephenMosher said...

I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to see your decorating skills in person. And I DO consider that lucky...

xoste

Anonymous said...

Hi,
love your collection of hands. I collect hand vases, mostly glass ones,as well as other hand ornaments, & I have over 70 of them.
I think there is something wonderfully surreal about hand vases, the Victorian era was brilliant at mixing the macabre & the sentimental.
How many hands in your collection?
I am about to begin work on researching for a book on hand vases & related hand objects so it's great to see there's a bit of interest in them!
Marinka.

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