Synopsis

In a lavish marble mansion, women drift through rooms, pose, dance, touch and kiss their own hands, while Alpine appears within a series of stylized tableaux. The camera moves between intimate close-ups and group scenes, making ordinary gestures feel strange and sensual. The surreal, playful setting turns self-touch into choreography, balancing deadpan humor with erotic charge. The band functions less as the focus of a conventional narrative than as part of a glossy, dreamlike world where desire is directed inward.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video's concept began as an idea for a short film about female masturbation, approached in an elegant and stylized way.

• During casting, participants were asked to make out with different objects, including their own hands and pieces of paper attached to walls or pinboards.

• The production had a very small budget. Because there was little money to pay performers, almost everyone who attended the casting was included.

• Some crew members arrived without knowing the video's concept and were reportedly surprised to find a group of women moving through a marble mansion for the shoot.

• The video's atmosphere was partly inspired by the director's experience at an all-girls school, particularly the boredom and frustration associated with being in a single-sex environment.

• "Hands" was nominated for Best Video at the 2012 ARIA Awards and for Australian Video of the Year at the 2012 J Awards.

• The video was later exhibited as part of ACMI's Spectacle: Music Video exhibition and at an international music video exhibition in Paris.