hammer
Ndidi Ekubia
C o n n e c tio n Vase,
2011
Britannia silver
7.25 x 5 in. dia.
four-sided saw
David Gates
S a w , S lic e , S p lit, S cra pe , S h a ve ,
2011
oak, twine, plaster of Paris
4.3 x2 x1.3 ft.
glue
Beth Lipman
G ift B o w l,
2011
found objects, caulk
12 x 26 x 28 in.
Along with highlighting the
importance of tools - those
useful implements we take for
granted today —
what other goals
did you have for the project?
I w a n t e d t o h ig h lig h t s o m e t h in g
w e t e n d t o f o r g e t in t h e m o d e r n
w o r ld : E v e r y o b je c t in f r o n t o f
u s w a s m a d e b y s o m e b o d y . W e
d o n ’t k n o w w h e r e m o s t o f th e
s t u f f w e o w n c o m e s f r o m , le t
a lo n e h o w i t w a s m a d e .
H e r e I a m , s p e a k in g a s a
s o - c a lle d e x p e r t , a n d I c a n ’t t e ll
y o u h o w m y s h o e s w e r e m a d e
a n d I ’v e w o r n t h e m f o r fiv e
y e a r s . P a r t o f th is e x h ib it io n is
t o g e t p e o p le t o t h in k a b it h a r d -
e r n o t ju s t a b o u t a r t is t s ’ p r o -
c e s s e s b u t a ls o a b o u t m a k in g
in g e n e r a l.
There’s a modern cluelessness
you wanted to address.
T h e m o r e p r o d u c t io n m o v e s
a w a y , t h e c h e a p e r t h in g s
b e c o m e , t h e m o r e a p p e a lin g
it is t o b u y th in g s r a t h e r th a n
to m a k e t h e m , t h e m o r e d is t a n t
w e b e c o m e f r o m h o w e v e r y d a y
o b je c t s a r e p r o d u c e d . I w a s th e
la s t g e n e r a t io n o f m y p u b lic
s c h o o l s y s t e m t o h a v e s h o p
c la s s e s in t h e 19 8 0 s. B y th e t im e
m y lit t le b r o t h e r c a m e a r o u n d ,
th e w o r k s h o p h a d b e c o m e a
c o m p u t e r la b . T h e r e is th is
s e n s e t h a t h o w p r o d u c t io n h a p -
p e n s d o e s n ’ t m a tte r . W e ’ re n o t
r e a lly a w a r e t h a t th e r e is a s e t
o f h a n d s b e h in d e v e r y o b je c t
a r o u n d u s.
So what happens when you
learn that?
O n t h e o n e h a n d , th in g s b e c o m e
a b i t m o r e m a g ic a l - y o u r e a liz e
t h e y c o m e f r o m m a te r ia ls a n d
s o m e o n e t r a n s fo r m e d t h e m a t e -
r ia ls in t o a n o b je c t . O n t h e o t h -
e r , y o u r d e c is io n s as a c o n s u m e r
c a n b e m o r e e t h ic a l w h e n y o u
r e a liz e t h e r e w a s a p e r s o n
b e h in d y o u r s h ir t a n d y o u c a n
t h in k a lit t le h a r d e r a b o u t th e
c o n d it io n s in w h i c h t h e s h ir t
w a s m a d e . W a s i t j u s t , w a s it
s a fe , w a s t h e m a k e r p a id ?
How does tool use in the
exhibition compare with ideas
about tools in the 17th and
18th centuries?
W e l l , in h is
Encyclopédie
(1 7 5 1-7 2 ), D e n is D id e r o t s p e n t
a l o t o f tim e c a t e g o r iz in g t o o ls ,
o u t lin in g p r o p e r t o o l u s e a n d
e n u m e r a tin g “ t o o ls fit f o r
a p u r p o s e .”
T h e E n lig h t e n m e n t w a s a ll
a b o u t d o c u m e n t a t io n . A p p r e n -
t ic e c r a ft s m e n s p e n t s e v e n
y e a r s o f in d e n t u r e d s e r v it u d e
le a r n in g h o w t o u s e t h e ir t o o ls .
A t t h e s a m e t im e , t h e r e ’ s th e
1719 t a le o f R o b in s o n C r u s o e ,
w h o w a s s t r a n d e d o n a n is la n d
a n d h a d t o lo o k a t a ll o f t h e
o b je c t s o n h is s h ip a s p o t e n -
t ia l t o o ls t o a p p r o p r ia t e f o r
n e w p u r p o s e s .
Maybe the message of
“The Tool at Hand” is that
there is a certain freedom in
not being steeped in tools and
making. In the aist century,
we aren’t necessarily bound
by convention. It sounds as if
the show’s artists were more
Crusoe than Diderot.
Y e s . W i t h se rio u s c o n s tra in ts -
a n d t h e w o o d w o r k e r s in
th e s h o w h a v e v a s t t o o l k it s -
c o m e p o s s ib ilitie s f o r c r e a tiv ity .
W h e n e le m e n t a r y s c h o o ls
s t o p t e a c h in g h o w t o u s e
t h e s a w , m a y b e t h a t o p e n s
s o m e th in g u p e v e n a s it c lo s e s
s o m e t h in g d o w n .
+
c h ip s t o n e .o r g
m a m .o r g
“The Tool at Hand” travels to Phil-
adelphia A rt Alliance in spring
2013, followed by stops at the Hous-
ton Center for Contemporary
Craft and the Museum o f Contem-
porary Craft in Portland.
130
american craft feb/mari
2
Connection
photo: Stephen Brayne /
Saw
and four-sided saw photos: David Gates /
Gift
photo: Robb Quinn
