Participants (see their HS progress)
- Antonia Boyle
- Aphra Cheesman
- Nina van Duijnhoven
- Jack Hadley
- Fran Leitch
- Nikki Perry
- Amelia Rothwell
- Mia Straka
- Simon Swale
- Susan Videler
- Michelle Wilkinson
- Macarena Bernal
The HANDSHAKE 6 Activities’ programme for 2020 – 2021:
MASTERclass 2021
ON-E by: Estela Saez Vilanova (CAT-ES)
A series of Zoom workshops during April – October about ONLINE EXHIBTIONS with the intention to prepare Handshake 6 artists for their online exhibition submission

Statement: Recently, curators and educators have progressively started exploring the numerous possibilities proposed by virtual exhibitions. Institutions have made 3-D tours of their galleries accessible online through a variety of platforms, allowing visitors from around the globe to virtually “wander” through many Museums around the world, Van Gogh Museum or Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul in Mexico among other significant sites. But when the Covid-19 pandemic started, public curiosity in virtual art experiences, as for the need of the maker to present worldwide their works, increased like never before.
The online-exhibiting field is yet to be fully discovered, therefore our main purpose with this Masterclass -besides the fact that Handshake Program has since long counted with online exhibitions-, it is to offer intuitive virtual exhibition ideas and presentation of our works, that offers flexibility and are willing to reach to public and/or followers showing their final results, as for its working process as part of the result itself. Aiming at generating enthusiasm through sharing emotions, new values and creating expectations; “The goal is the meaning and the meaning is the goal” while testing abstract and visual/sound experiments, we will our work and process as for the idea of how to present virtually these works yet we as creators. Throughout provoking alternatives to in-person viewing, interactive and a variety of content formats that viewers can engage with, especially during the present times we live in.
Techniques: Video/sound/photo
JEWELcamp 2021 June – Aug
FUNDRAISING Workshop
by: Joany Grima
Objectives: To empower HS6 artists to create a practical, implementable and achievable plan to achieve your collective Handshake fundraising goal.
JEWELcamp & MASTERclass 2020
The HS6 programme started off in pre-Covid January with a JEWELcamp that contained an intro and instruction to the programme, and a Push/Pull intro workshop with Renee Bevan, and a Masterclass workshop with Iris Eichenberg at NZ school of Art & Fashion, Epsom, Auckland.
What happened during MASTERclass:
HS6 artists had to place 5 unfinished works and a finished work they brought along from their workshops on the table.
Iris asked to spend 45 mins with no talking, moving around the tables and adding, subtracting, or moving/grouping works as they pleased.
On an adjacent table, each had tipped out the shoebox of workshop materials they brought along. Invited to help themselves to anyone’s collection they ‘interfered’ with others’ work on the table. After this, all had to write down what was noticeable when they interfered with other’s people’s objects, and what was noticeable what happened to their own work.
Each discussed that in the group.
Following that Iris asked to take some things off the table that was thought were not finished or did not belong there – then to replace it with something.
After that they were instructed to categorise the remaining works into groupings.
They started this in seperate groups, but all moved in and around so the groups weren’t fixed, which happened naturally. After categorising, the remaining works were labelled and went into collections.
This freeing and fun exercise illuminates and illustrates how artists operate in terms of editing and taste preferences.
Iris’ questioning and inspiring ways brought magic to HS6
Blog Posts
Head, Hands and Heart : Part 1 – Head
Up until now my work has often been quite literal – forms are easily identified, stories are quickly understood. The experimental nature of Handshake has presented me with an opportunity to push myself into a different kind of outcome.
The contrast in time
The contrast in time Monika sips green tea, I sip wine. NZ is easy to contain, she says. She is speaking about bloody Covid. This strange continuity with online graduations is forcing creativity. I learn that working naked (meaning...
Makeshift Studio and Image Dump
During lockdown, I set up a a studio in the basement of my flat. It's messy and damp, but it has been a wonderful space to have. It is very makeshift. I use paint buckets as stools and often work on floor. There is a fire extinguisher prominently installed to ease my...
Bubble, Struggle, Breathe and Weave
This past month we have moved beyond full lockdown, after the dissolution of my bubble I shifted back to my flat and set up my home studio again. Now I am able to get back into my shared workshop. Manon and I had our first face to face meeting via Zoom two days ago, I...
Lockdown blockdown
I’ll have to call this my April blog, due to Covid 19 paralysis (my own). My small world initially appeared to be the same with Level 4 lockdown here in New Zealand. I felt like I had been practising for it all my life. Having worked from home for many years it was...
The third child!
Blyton, E. (1950). The Land of Far-beyond. p. 12 (Leaving lockdown!) The contents of my cupboards, wardrobe, drawers, and cabinets have never looked so neat, aligned, contained, and ordered; my control over an uncontrolled time. I sometimes randomly open one up and...
The Dream
'The dream' (written 10th April 2020) A few weeks back I had my first mentoring session with my mentor Iris via Zoom. A fabulous catch up (she told me exactly what I needed to hear, your work is good and It’s unique). It snowed and she showed me some of the academic...
Weaving words
Words can be used to create all sorts of pictures, yet the image I see most vividly, in this moment, when I think of words, is a net. I see the cord or thread and the knotting, simple or intricate patterns, holding ideas loosely in their arms. More than...
Limbo Land
Limbo land. For the first two weeks of lockdown I was in an odd state of mental paralysis. Partly as a result of an anxiety attack about the looming effects of Covid-19 a week before lockdown, and coming to terms with not travelling to Melbourne for my daughters 30th...
Isolation: direction, motivation, imperfection
I had my second catch up via skype with Lisa a few weeks ago. Unfortunately plans to meet in Wellington at the end of March had to be put on hold for obvious COVID-19 related reasons. I was disappointed not to be able to meet in person but we had a great chat and I...
Don’t think jewellery
Notes from communication with Monika Brugger May 7th, 2020 About the Kauri Gum bead neckalce: This she found the most interesting, I agree. She can interpret this one. It describes a cycle with many readings. Something everyone can relate too finding different...
Day 36 in solo lockdown
I have been up and down. A lot of my mood has had to do with the uncertainty, being in limbo, not knowing where I am going, what I will be doing. For a while I was to be able to put it to rest, happily going with the flow and dealing with it as it comes. Right now,...
Net Connections
My first interactions with Manon have been via email, introducing my practice with images and writing as the world closes borders and our bubbles cope as best we can behind closed doors.
We have contact
Photo of the aftermath. Maca Bernal- Monika Brugger. April 15th 2020, 9 am France, 7pm New Zealand. Handshake during Covid pandemic times........... I had my first meeting with Monika and this is what came out of it; Nothing is completely new, sometimes...
LOCKDOWN!!!
LOCKDOWN… What a difference a few weeks make. This is a crazy time…. Just struggling to get any perspective on life at the moment. At least we have art I suppose…. My MFA exhibition was meant to open, basically the day we went into lock down. It is still there in the...










