Ontwerp voor een voorzittershamer met hakenkruismotief c. 1874 - 1932

Editor: This is "Design for a Chairman's Gavel with Swastika Motif" by Mathieu Lauweriks, probably drawn sometime between 1874 and 1932 using pencil. The swastika form is so dominant. It’s unsettling, knowing what that symbol later became. What sense can we make of its use here in a design? Curator: The swastika is indeed loaded with later meaning, isn't it? But before its appropriation, it was an ancient, nearly universal symbol representing well-being, good fortune, even life itself. Consider the object this design is for – a gavel. What does a gavel represent? Editor: Authority? Order? Maybe the act of finalizing something? Curator: Exactly. Now, imagine imbuing that symbol of order with another, historically positive symbol. The original intent likely wasn't malevolent. It suggests a desire to bring about what was perceived as a harmonious state. This proposed form uses powerful imagery related to geometric ordering systems that appealed to modernists, too. What emotions does that layering evoke in you? Editor: It is complicated. On the one hand, the clean lines are elegant. On the other, knowing how the symbol was later twisted, it's difficult to see it in a purely innocent light. It speaks to the mutability of symbols, how meaning can shift so drastically. Curator: Precisely! Cultural memory is a powerful force. This design becomes a potent reminder of how symbols, once benign, can be corrupted and weaponized, forever changing their meaning and our perception. Do you find this complicates your understanding of modernism at all? Editor: It definitely challenges any simplistic view. It's a stark example of how aesthetic choices can carry unforeseen ethical baggage. Curator: I think this really challenges us to investigate not just *what* we see, but *how* history shapes that very seeing.