A MULTI-MEDIA exhibition created by an international, award winning artist and her work with 30 people from North Craven will open in Settle next week.

Life in Our Hands tells the life stories of people from all walks of life using casts of their hands, in addition to words and film.

A Settle Stories exhibition, it involved Indian born artist Shanthamani Muddaiah talking to people including farmers, volunteer workers and even a grave digger, while at the same time making Plaster of Paris moulds of their hands, which were then cast.

Those who took part in the project were chosen because of their involvement and importance with the community.

The charity has also made a film of the process.

A spokesman said: "The interview process involved Shanthamani casting her sitters’ hands and filming their interaction. The physical act of touch created an intimacy between artist and sitter that allowed honest conversation to flourish.

" As participants talked about their contribution to the landscape, the artist took a physical imprint of the hands they used to shape it."

Shanthamani is most well-known for her 2014 award-winning sculpture ‘ Backbone’ which is currently displayed at Aspinwall House, For Kochi in India.

She also has her solo ‘Neither Tree nor Ashes’ piece at the Suzanne Tarasieve Gallery in Paris and is taking more solo work to the Saatchi Gallery in London later this year. Shanthamani, who has previously done hand casting in India, said “History is not only made of popular events but also shaped by an individual’s life experiences.

"This project is about to bring forth such stories and put them together. Using arts as a platform to bring communities together will be the main goal of this project.”

The exhibition, which opens on Tuesday, September 24 will run until the end of February next year, and will take place at Settle Stories' The Joinery.

It will be open every Tuesday and Thursday, and on the first Saturday of every month from 11am to 4pm, admission free.