TOOLS AND WEAPONS

Tools and Weapons is a series of free standing sculptures that reference knapped stone blades. In 2014 and 2015 I visited southwestern France to view the caves containing Prehistoric paintings and engravings. While researching the work, I discovered the existence of Acheulean hand axes.  Scholars tell us that these objects may have been man’s first “artwork” because they were not created for a utilitarian purpose. Beauty was the sole function of these symmetrically fashioned stone objects, crafted from rare and valuable stone materials.

I began to make these “blade” forms with concave scallop shapes that look like what are known as “conchoidal fracturing.” The objective of this simulated chipping, or “bifacial reduction,” is to create a harmonious and beautiful organization of concave shapes that reference spearheads, arrowheads and stone knives. This process is a search for a perfect combination of shapes, which resonate with the viewer. These blades stand vertically on stone bases as monoliths and icons of human industry. Tools and weapons like these are remnants of the first manifestation of abstract thought.