“For the artist, touch is paramount. It is the physical transmission point between what we feel inside and the outside world. The paintbrush was designed to give maximum freedom of expression to communicate inner thoughts and feelings to canvas.”
These are the words of Allen Hirsch, an artist, entrepreneur, inventor, real estate developer and writer. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. He was the subject of a recent Emmy-winning documentary, Long Live Benjamin, about his art and adventures with his monkey in Soho
Hirsch wants to help turn our phones into paint brushes. Instead of tensely gripping our devices or wedging our fingers uncomfortably between hard plastic or metal, he wants us to feel the freedom of the artist when he/she uses their most precious devices. After all, smartphones are our canvases where we express our thoughts and feelings to others.
Hirsch explains. “HANDL was created by hand for your hands. It was the result of hundreds of handmade contraptions strapped to the back of my phone until I arrived at a simple set of popsicle sticks and a rubber band. This resulted in a patented elastic and brace system that supports your phone on your fingers effortlessly and allows maximum freedom and range of thumb motion. This further converts to become a portrait and landscape stand.
The elastic is the heart of HANDL and what separates us from any other accessory. It allows your phone to move with you. HANDL puts us back in touch with touch. HANDL releases the mindless grip and the tension and allows us to feel how we touch and move our hands and fingers. We suddenly have a greater range of motion and expression: the phone now becomes our paintbrush.”
HANDLsticks retail between $14.99 – $24.99 and are available at Amazon.com, Target, and online at handlnewyork.com.
