Handkerchiefs

The hankies are a series of transportable pocket-sized artworks with practical, everyday use possibilities. They are hand-embroidered with customised messages for the user, which can be seen or touched, or even held up to communicate with others.

The handkerchief is generally used for cleaning up bodily secretions, such as mucous or tears. They have also been used throughout history as a means of comfort, communication, and as sentimental keepsakes. These artworks extend those historical use-cases through text and performance to serve a practical function for a broad neurodivergent community, as a tool to communicate with others or self.

The hankies allow for easy non-verbal signalling of access needs in a given moment which can be communicated without words, eye contact or physical touch, such as 'I need personal space'. But they can also serve as reminders to the user of what their own needs are, such as 'Call a Friend', 'You're Okay' or 'Remember to Breathe'. Messages like 'I need to be alone for a while' can serve as both a tool for communication to others or as a self-reminder.