Can a stitch hold what memory cannot?

The Hand Remembers is a six-week textile workshop for people living with dementia, developed in the Re.Shape Lab in 2026 and accepted by the Alzheimer Society of Toronto for delivery in 2027. Working from the idea that the hand and its gestures often hold memory and emotion when words grow harder to reach, the workshop invites participants to intervene on fabric-based objects through collage, embroidery, beading, weaving, and draped emotion. It extends Martin’s Fashion Design for DIY (FDfDIY) approach into participatory, care-centred making, where the act of shaping cloth becomes a way of staying present.

Credits:

Re.Shape Lab_ PI: Danielle Martin // workshop design & fabric-based objects: Francheska Guilalas, Dharti Patel, Sope Peters, and Delia Shon // partner: Alzheimer Society of Toronto // (designed in 2026, accepted for 2027)