The resulting handheld embossing tool requires two people to operate it. Each participant holds one side of the mechanism and together they roll a piece of paper through it, producing phrases such as Hi, my name is… or Nice to meet you. Pressure, speed and direction have to be coordinated. Because both people are acting upon the same mechanism, the movement of one changes what the other can do: resistance, assistance and adjustment can be felt through the object.

The handshake is therefore not represented visually. Instead, its reciprocal structure becomes a condition of production. The shared mechanism takes the place of direct hand-to-hand contact, but retains something of its negotiation: neither participant can complete the gesture independently. The card may still be forgotten or eventually thrown away, but the introduction has already required an encounter. The recipient has not simply received my card; they have participated in making it.

This experiment shifted the role of the tool. A tool does not merely extend the capabilities of an individual body. It can also organise relationships between bodies.

The result was a small handheld embossing tool designed to be operated by two people. I hold one side and another person holds the other. A piece of paper passes between us, and together we roll it through the mechanism to emboss phrases such as Hi, my name is… or Nice to meet you.

The object sits between our hands, allowing one person's movement to become a condition for the other’s. The handshake therefore isn't an image printed onto the card. It is closer to a rule built into the encounter: you need someone else for this to work.