Artifact of the Grip No. 2 (The Craftsmen)
Series: THE EPISTEMIC GRIP
Material: PLA (plastic), acrylic paint, wood, glass, paper, cord, metal (blunt saw & knife)
Dimensions: 34 x 66 x 40 cm
Year: 2026
Lim.: 3 (1 AP)
Abstract
This freestanding sculpture isolates the "epistemic grip" of the master shipwrights, translating maritime history into a universal discourse on migration and physical labor. Rather than a product of abstract theory, historic seafaring routes were conquered through the unrelenting interaction of mind, tool, and material—forged by the bare hands of craftsmen whose very expertise enabled their own migration across the oceans. Operating as a closed-loop system, the sculpture visualizes the heavy price of this knowledge: the arm emerges from a primal block, undergoes structural transformation, and suffers a violent amputation through the act of fabrication. While the synthetic white blood drains back to nourish the origin, the severed fingertip is isolated as an administrative piece of forensic evidence.
Deep Dive: Conceptual Insight
The sculpture marks a radical color reversal within the project's morphogenetic cycle. The arm grows directly from a dense, white block of solid soapstone—a direct material reference to the historical Sala dei Modelli of major shipyards and arsenals (such as Venice and Genoa), where shipwrights drew complex 1:1 hull geometries with soapstone. As it ascends, the mathematical foundation morphs into a dark gray, 3D-printed hand, exposing raw anatomical flesh rendered in clinical white.
In a powerful manifestation of the permanent physical dangers and trauma of manual labor (Anatomy of Labor), the index fingertip has been violently severed, exposing the hollow digital infill grid of the 3D print. The exfiltrated fingertip hangs from a chisel, sealed inside an industrial specimen bag. This presentation creates a direct link to the Forensic Lab Edition and the Promethean myth: while the main installation channels the cost of technological theft through skeletal remains, this administrative file acts as a cold record of the craftsman's bodily mutilation. The exhibition space is thus transformed into a forensic archive of human labor and displacement.
Object Data & Material Note: Nomenclature vs. Simulation
Terms like blood, flesh and soapstone denote morphological genesis, not physical materials. All works exist solely as painted 3D prints (PLA). Through additive manufacturing, the sculpture becomes a simulation—evoking visceral flesh while consisting entirely of sterile, contemporary code; a durable trace of a lost hapticity.
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