Published by Madrid Publications
210x297mm / 226 pages
Digital Giclée
Edition of 100
978-82-691839-4-8
Over three million years ago, our ancestors used hammer stones to break other rocks into tools for cutting and killing. Today, we have a wide variety of specialised hammers, but despite their differences, most still consist of a head mounted on a handle, just like the hammer dating back more than 30.000 years, when we placed a stick on the hammer stone to increase force and comfort. The hammer is the oldest known tool and has always been part of human life. It illustrates how our desire to simplify tasks and shape environments manifests as designed objects. The hammer, perfectly fitting the hand, unites human and design, body with object. Yet I wonder, do we really know and appreciate the hammer, or do we take it for granted? This book explores the intimate and entangled relationship between humans and designed objects, represented by the hammer. To deepen my understanding of the hammer, I have explored it through various practices and used a wide range of techniques and materials, including (experimental) drawing, laser-cutting, ceramic works, and bricolage. I have also shared my process with others, inviting participation through exhibitions, workshops, and collections. I have engaged in conversations with and about hammers. I have built hammers, tied and taped myself to them, danced around with them, and even shared a bed with one. In this book, you will meet hammers that have a story to tell as well as hammers that do not (yet) exist. You will meet strange, broken, and useless hammers, as well as human hammers and hammer humans. I welcome you into my world of hammers.
– Siv Lier
(PHOTODOCUMENTATION
COMING SOON)
COMING SOON)