Tools for the Modern Stone Age Family

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By Gareth Branwyn
Posted 2012/10/15 @ 12:30 pm
Category Workshop

I love these modern stone and flint tools made by designers Ami Drach and Dov Ganchrow. I want that axe!

The set is a result of an experimental exploration of the realm of tool making. Where stone and flint tools have been the means of our ancestors’ survival for over a million years, they magnify our bodily (teeth, fingernails, fists etc.) capabilities of cutting and chopping, sawing and pounding. Through a method of three-dimensionally scanning and printing, the ancient artifacts are digitally outfitted with custom-designed handles, encapsulating the rugged forms in a perfectly enclosed case. By juxtaposing the polarities of the manufacturing processes in computer generated forms, an intersection of material technologies and functionality coincide on a tangible scale.

Modern Stone + Flint Tools by Ami Drach + Dov Ganchrow

BY Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn is a freelancer writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture, including the first book about the web (Mosaic Quick Tour) and the Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Robots. He is currently working on a best-of collection of his writing, called Borg Like Me.

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8 Responses to Tools for the Modern Stone Age Family

Tommy Phillips on October 15th, 2012 at 2:16 pm said:

Don’t you just love the gobbledygook concocted to describe a project like this? (A juxtaposition of some kind of opposites, which is a favorite theme of the artsy community.)

Because you couldn’t just say, “Precisely fitting modern materials to random, natural stone blades is kind of cool and ironic. And, we’re not that different from our ancestors sometimes.”

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P Guncheon on October 16th, 2012 at 7:42 am said:

“By juxtaposing the polarities of the manufacturing processes in computer generated forms, an intersection of material technologies and functionality coincide on a tangible scale.”

Language like this should be shot and buried. It’s actually painful to read as it has so little actual meaning. Someone is trying real hard to sound intelligent. It’s not working.

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herddog505 on November 1st, 2012 at 4:33 am said:

I agree with the other commenters about the language used in the article. Unless it was written tongue-in-cheek, then I suggest that Mr. Branwyn immediately cease and desist writing anything more complex than a grocery list until he has read, marked and inwardly digested Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language”. Aftwerward, as both an example of a well-written short essay on a simple subject and as a treat, he could read Orwell’s “A Nice Cup of Tea”.

As for the subject of this post, the tools are very interesting; they would make a nice addition to any collection of knives or tools.

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- Michael Kelsey on November 1st, 2012 at 1:46 pm said:
  
  It’s pretty hard to notice the pale grey “blockquote” bar overlaid on the white background, isn’t it?
  
  Mr. Branwyn thankfully did _not_ write that pseudointellectual content-free drivel. He was quoting the two designers who came up with the project. I’ll leave selection of appropriate adjectivesfor said designers to your imagination.
  
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Patrick on November 1st, 2012 at 11:17 am said:

That’s cool! How’s that for simple?

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