Last week I was working with 3D modelling and particularly on the technique of rigging. Soon I realised how this new tool was adding a further needless layer of complexity and that it was probably not relevant for the kind of research I wanted to conduct. So I took a step backwards with the project in order to identify the issues I actually wanted to raise. Again, I found the variety of power dynamics embedded through the act of shaking hands as the main theme. It is my belief that power, especially in the political field, is an intrinsic element of this phenomenon, so in order to bring it to light I decided again to continue with a process of essentialization and a thorough analysis of the gesture.
I switched medium and I started to make quick sketches of handshakes. I took Donald Trump as a case study for this analysis since on several occasions he revealed a close attention to the nuances of body language. I draw his hands interacting with other heads of state in 27 different moments, and I wrote down notes on the various position and the peculiar curl and angle of the fingers and the palm.
The phenomenology of the Trump’s handshake
Thanks to this amount of data, I noticed a recurring pattern in the handshake employed by Trump. On many occasions he is offering his hand with the palm facing upwards (which is generally considered a submissive approach by the experts of body language) giving to the counterpart a false sense of security and then he is patting the other person’s back of the hand with his left palm, which is a way of reasserting control.
In order to go deeper into the analysis, and also because I believe the fluid phenomenon of the handshake cannot be frozen into still images, I decided to re-enact the insights gained through a sort of performance.
Inspired by the Performance Notes on gesture by Ted Yoon, with the poor means available I created an object to help me in the observation of the handshakes. It consists of a box which replicates a sort of puppet theatre inside which the hands can perform. On the upper side there is a mirror tilted by 45° which simultaneously allows to look at the performance from another perspective.
I shot a video performance re-enacting the greeting between Trump and Shinzo Abe. The video consists of 9 progressive iterations where the same footage is accompanied by a description which gradually gets more and more precise and rich in details. Inevitably the narration becomes increasingly more complex and so the micro movements put in place by the two leaders start to acquire a multitude of significances. The different levels of specificity and ambiguity shift the viewer’s attention and the power dynamics embedded in the gestures are silently exhibited.
- A and B shake hands
- A and B shake hands while B pats A’s hand multiple times
- B offers their hand to A and they start shaking hands while B pats A’s hand multiple times
- B offers their right hand to A with the palm facing upwards and they start shaking hands while B pats A’s hand multiple times
- B offers their right hand to A with the palm parallel to the ground facing upwards, B grasps A’s hand firmly and they start to shake hands while B pats A’s back of the hand multiple times
- Trump offers his right hand to Abe with the palm parallel to the ground facing upwards, Abe grasps Trump’s hand firmly and they start shaking hands waving them briefly up-and-down. Trump pats Abe’s back of the hand with his left palm three times twice.
- During a bilateral meeting in Washington Donald Trump offers his right hand to Shinzo Abe with the palm parallel to the ground facing upwards, Shinzo Abe grasps Donald Trump’s hand firmly and they start shaking hands waving them briefly up-and-down. Donald Trump pats Shinzo Abe’s back of the hand with his left palm three times and they continue to hold hands. Then Donald Trump pats Shinzo Abe’s hand three times again.
- On the 10th of February 2017, during a bilateral meeting in the oval office at the White House Donald Trump offers his right hand to Shinzo Abe with the palm parallel to the ground facing upwards, Shinzo Abe grasps Donald Trump’s hand firmly and they start shaking hands waving them briefly up-and-down. Donald Trump pats Shinzo Abe’s back of the hand with his left palm three times and they continue to hold hands. Donald Trump lightly squeezes Shinzo Abe’s hand and swiftly pulls him towards himself. Then Donald Trump pats Shinzo Abe’s hand three times again.
- On the 10th of February 2017, during a bilateral meeting in the oval office at the White House the President of the U.S Donald Trump offers his right hand with the palm parallel to the ground facing upwards to the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe. Shinzo Abe grasps Donald Trump’s hand firmly and they start shaking hands waving them briefly up-and-down. Donald Trump pats Shinzo Abe’s back of the hand with his left palm three times and they continue to hold hands. Donald Trump lightly squeezes Shinzo Abe’s hand and swiftly pulls him towards himself. Then Donald Trump pats Shinzo Abe’s hand three times again before they loosen the grip. The two heads of state were expected to discuss many issues, including trade and security ties