Thinking Hand: Existential and Embodied Wisdom in Architecture

In today's global network-based culture, which places an unparalleled emphasis on the virtual and visual, the mind and body have become disconnected and ultimately disengaged. Although physical appearance is idolized for its sexual attractiveness and social identity, the body's role in fully understanding the physical world and the human condition is neglected. The potential of the human body as a knowing being – with all our senses and bodily functions structured to collectively produce and sustain unspoken knowledge – goes unnoticed. Artistic work and craftsmanship can only be fully realized through the unity of mind and body. Even endeavors such as writing and thinking, often considered to be purely intellectual, depend on this combination of mind and manual skills.

In "The Thinking Hand", Juhani Pallasmaa reveals the miraculous potential of the human hand. He shows how the pencil in the hand of an artist or architect becomes a bridge between the imagining mind and the emerging image. The book explores the multiple natures of the hand, its biological evolution, and its role in shaping culture, emphasizing that the hand-tool unity and the eye-hand-mind combination are essential for dexterity, and ultimately that the body and senses play a crucial role in memory and creative work. Pallasmaa continues his explorations, which began in his now-classic work "The Eyes of the Skin", by further delving into the reciprocal interactions of emotion and imagination, intelligence and construction, theory and life, once again redefining the tasks of art and architecture through firmly grounded human truths.