The Circle of Hands series was inspired by Nicola Green’s first trip to the United States in August 2008 to attend the Democratic National Convention at the Mile High Stadium, in Denver. Green stood amongst the 84,000 people in the stadium as Barack Obama received the official nomination as the Democratic candidate for president, and delivered his famous acceptance speech - it was the first official day of his path to the White House.

Green was inspired as she watched the crowd celebrating and taking part in a Mexican wave and felt an extraordinary movement of energy as she realised she was witnessing a unity felt both in America and around the world.

Circle of Hands is a distillation of this incredible moment. The imagery represents the momentous energy, it embodies the people of the world uniting. The image shows seven hands, with different gestures, united in a circle of light. It represents the non- verbal gestures that can communicate so much more than words. The circle represents the genesis of the cycle, all of the pieces are connected, and Light reflects the imagery seen through the series to the seventh print, Peace. It also represents the long arc of change - August 28th is a hugely significant date in history. Not only was it the day of Obama’s nomination in 2008, it was also the day Martin Luther King delivered the I Have a Dream address in 1963. It was also on this date that the UK passed the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. This piece reflects on the long journey to the first African American President - and how it will be many years until we truly understand the impact, across the world, of Obama’s election on the next generation.

The iconography seen in the Circle of Hands artworks is derived from Day 1, Light from the series In Seven Days…

The first in the cycle of seven prints, this piece represents the multifaceted beginning of this story, it refers to the Genesis story of creation when light was made from, and out of, darkness. This piece is really about what must happen for any important story to begin.