photographed and edited by Pauline Vogl
The Knife reinterprets one of humanity's oldest tools: the hand axe, crafted from flint. Flint was chosen due to its food-safe properties, exceptional hardness, and ease of sharpening, as it is hard yet not brittle. The knife’s shape emerged from a design consideration of weight. The goal was to avoid a protruding handle that would require excessive force to use overextended periods of time. Instead, a more balanced form was created, ensuring comfort and efficiency.
The goal was to design a stone knife specifically adapted for cutting vegetables, diverging from the traditional Stone Age use of slicing meat. Due to time constraints, the blade wasn't ground as finely as initially planned, resulting in a slightly thicker edge that struggles to easily penetrate particularly firm vegetables, such as aubergines. However, the knife proved highly effective for tasks like chopping herbs and garlic, offering a unique blend of modern functionality with ancient material and technique. This exploration in tool-making challenges both historical conventions and modern expectations, offering a new perspective on how ancient materials can serve contemporary culinary needs.