Today, we have a special feature from ALLSHIPS community member Michelle Vijoen, about her body of work-

HIDDEN STORIES: CHAPTER ONE

SIGHT OF HAND

To read the original presentation and learn more about this project, visit the HIDDEN STORIES website.

You can also collect this work on OpenSea.

We all have our own journeys, and with that, our own stories, the ones we wrote ourselves, the ones others have written about us, and the remnants of those passed down to us by others. These stories and moments shape us, and they leave traces of themselves behind as they silently whisper their secrets into the world.

I have always focused on capturing the small, often overlooked moments surrounding us. I've become increasingly enamored by how we present ourselves to those around us juxtaposed by what lies beneath, a constant search for clues. When I photograph someone, I can't help but wonder where they have been. How many stories have been collected along their journey? But most importantly, how many stories are yet to be written?

For about two years after the pandemic started, I was isolated. As a means to cope I spent a lot of time looking through my archives and realized that it's always been the small moments, something often overlooked, a hand, a shadow, one person's expression amongst many.

For years we've been tucked away behind masks, covering ourselves. Yet our hands are even more exposed than ever. I felt the need to dive deeper, isolating the traces of hidden stories upon our hands.

When I look at a piece of art, I can't help but wonder where it's been. Upon whose walls did it hang? What conversations did it overhear? What did it mean to the collector? Did they have beautiful, hilarious, sad, or peaceful moments in the rooms where it once hung? I wish I could place my hand upon the frame and see its memories.

I feel strongly that this is in an incredibly important part of an artworks provenance, one that has never been recorded.

This is how the concept of Hidden Stories came to be.

Through the power of the blockchain and my own custom smart contract, we created a beautiful convergence of my fascination with hidden stories, allowing collectors to leave their traces behind by adding their own hidden story to each HS NFT they own.

These stories will be cemented into the NFTs metadata, with another story being added every time they pass hands, connecting us all.

To learn more, join the Discord, visit the website and connect with Mich across the internet.