Artist Ann Hamilton, with short white hair and wearing a dark coat, gestures thoughtfully while seated at a table covered in papers, a tablet, and writing tools. She is in the expansive, light-filled interior of Salts Mill in Saltaire, a historic industrial building with high ceilings and exposed beams.
Video [15.40]

Video: Hands of We Will Sing

Hands of We Will Sing is a 15-minute film offering a portrait of internationally-acclaimed artist Ann Hamilton as she creates We Will Sing for Bradford 2025.

Published: July 1, 2025

Ann Hamilton, one of America’s most distinguished visual artists, has created powerful new installation for Bradford 2025 inspired by the district’s extraordinary textile heritage. See the exhibition come to life in this thoughtful film from Ali Lycett.

'In a digitally saturated world, we are still tactile organisms'

Hands of We Will Sing

A film by Ali Lycett

Hands of We Will Sing is a 15-minute film offering a portrait of internationally acclaimed artist Ann Hamilton. Tracing the slow unfolding of memory and imagination, the film follows Hamilton over the course of a year as she creates an expansive intallation that inhabits the three breathtaking rooftop spaces of Salts Mill.

Thoughtful and tactile, the film interweaves voice, historical context, process, and material echoing the themes of Hamilton’s practice and shaped through the filmmaker’s sustained observation. Hands of We Will Sing was commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and exhibited as part of Ann Hamilton’s We Will Sing at Salts Mill, Saltaire, Bradford, from 3 May to 3 November 2025.

Credits →
Director of Photography & Film Score: Tom Diffenthal
Editors: Lauren Paige Dowling & Ali Lycett