...Or computers, coffee and kitties.
Photos by Ashli Truchon Novak and Matt Laska
We are here, friends, to talk about tool signatures.
All cutting tools, from a butter knife to a bandsaw band, leave behind a distinct signature that identifies the tool with which a cut was made. The gouges on the bottom side of an 18th century chair seat identify the type of plane, the direction of the strokes, and sometimes even tell us something about the person who was working the board. Similarly, the slightly ribbed, polished edges of acrylic tell you that it's been laser cut.
Software is no different, but the signatures of CAD/CAM operations are taken for granted, and we look only at the piece, not at the process. David Pye, sort of dismissively, refers to this work as the Workmanship of Certainty, as if to say, "There's nothing to see here."
But I love these details, and many of my clients may notice that I use them to communicate information on my signage templates. Line types and hatches, in particular, just look great when printed or etched. Designers use these symbols with style all the time...but only internally.
On my beautiful little ornaments, these CAD signatures are absolutely mesmerizing. They add a foundation of order to otherwise expressive folk art designs.
And they are part of our contemporary design vernacular, just as tick marks were in pre-industrial woodwork.
This earlier iteration of the cats didn't make it all the way to production because the balance of order versus expressiveness was not quite right.
But when the balance is right, the link between the artist, tool, work, and audience is complete, uninterrupted, and distinct.
A theme that's present in all of my ornaments is a harmony of order and impulse. I always start by making rules based on the language of the software, and then I pull away from them until I'm satisfied.
I always want the machine signatures to be present, but never too proud.
The cat ornament is my favorite example of this because it's actually the most impulsive design with the fewest rules and order. Sounds about right...my cats don't give a damn if I make a rule anyway.
Please come visit us at the Easton Winter Village in Center Square, Easton PA
Friday 5pm-9pm
Saturday 1pm-9pm
Sunday12pm-5pm
November 18- December 17, 2023
Cheers,
Matt Laska
