WHAT IS IT & WHO MADE IT?
An extruded brass chisel by Emilie F. Grenier, as part of a larger work examining "alternative trends for the production and consumption of rare and luxurious objects" .
HOW WAS IT MADE?
I'm not sure precisely how Emilie fabricated her pieces, but brass extrusion is a fairly mature process - locks, hinges, bullet casings, bathroom fixtures can all use that process. I imagine the advantage for someone doing short production runs like this, is avoiding the cost of making moulds, and that the finish can be high quality from process itself.
Whatever the case - similar simple brass forms seem to be appearing everywhere. We were fortunate to be given this Hex Opener by Iacoli &McAllister as a housewarming present recently. The density and feel in the hand are seductive.
WHY DO I PIN IT?
Emilie's own description is an interesting brief, and the history of expensive paper-weights and such, bears out a thesis that there is a place for luxury simple objects. Of course, that artistic brief of "designing for the 1% without going to hell" is (ahem) maybe a whole discussion on it's own.
For me - there's something about the primitiveness. It feels like a tool that inserts itself into a greater machine, the final key to some complex industry. As an object, it captures a wide span of time. Both immediately seeming pre-Victorian and yet also able to last for longer than I do.
WHAT DID I LEARN?
I geeked out a little on Brass extrusion clips - but most of all it was one of those moments where I connected something precious in my life with a pin, and the history of the object pinned made me consider why I liked that little Hex opener so much.