Tools is an annual magazine from Paris that researches all the techniques and knowledge used in art, design, interior architecture, industry and trade, and is published as a comprehensive catalogue of design techniques.
While modern discourse often focuses on repair and care, this issue examines cutting as an act of separation, creation, and sometimes destruction. Cuts are everywhere in our lives—physically, as we cut wood, paper, and fabric, and metaphorically, as we make decisions or sever relationships. In crafts, cutting shapes raw materials into functional or artistic forms, from a timber framer hewing beams to a jeweler sculpting gems.
The issue also addresses the inherent violence in cutting, tracing its origins back to prehistoric tools used for hunting and survival. However, cutting can also be viewed as a form of repair or transformation. The magazine features a plastic surgeon restoring confidence, a taxidermist bringing life to preserved animals, and a gardener pruning plants in harmony with nature's cycles. It also discusses large-scale cutting, such as stone quarrying, raising questions about sustainability.
Cutting involves both artistry and precision, requiring balance between strength and delicacy. Tools for cutting, from ancient flints to modern lasers, reflect this evolution. By exploring the act of cutting from diverse perspectives, the issue uncovers its complex role in shaping materials, lives, and the world around us. This thematic journey highlights cutting as central to human creativity and survival.
- Pages: 248 Size: 210 x 300 mm softcover color French/English
