Originality, quality, time
I suppose these three words best describe my work. In a world where the market is flooded with mass-produced items, I have remained committed to honest, handcrafted work. The hinges you see in the picture were forged in a blacksmith's furnace, using an anvil and a hammer. You'd probably search in vain for something like this in a store. This piece best captures the direction I'm heading in. Even more refined, designed for the most discerning customers.
In terms of form, they bear no resemblance to the Art Nouveau period. Yet the aforementioned Art Nouveau (or Jugendstil—in German-speaking countries) was the last great era of craftsmanship. An era that emerged as a counterpoint to industrially mass-produced junk... An era when artists not only designed but also crafted everyday objects. A period in which everything was harmonious and refined down to the smallest detail. No, with this work I was by no means trying to emulate the aforementioned style; rather, I wanted to point out to you that production can also take place differently. Artfully, with attention to detail... as a counterpoint to mass production.
The production of such hinges always takes several days. The transformation of iron always begins with a design, followed by a 1:1 scale drawing of the object. The strips are heated to forging temperature, then "stretched"—sometimes by as much as 200 mm—using a hammer, anvil, and human strength. If necessary (and it usually is 😊), molds are made, onto which the individual pieces are then gradually bent and joined into a single unit using rivets. Before I forget: the most important thing during production is to use precise, calibrated mandrels. This prevents "play"—when the hinges have too much slack around the axis. A science? Maybe. Maybe just practice.
I've never liked medieval blacksmithing—which, in my eyes, is clumsy and cumbersome. In the end, the material needs to be "smoothed out" with files and "fine-tuned"… Almost like an orchestra. It's not a five-minute job. But in the end, the result stands the test of time.