Vork met vier tanden en zich naar het einde verbredende steel 1907

This is a fork with four tines and a stem that widens at the end, made by Wiener Werkstätte. It's hard to be exact on the date of this piece, but the maker was active between 1903 and 1932. It's interesting to consider the surface of this object. This isn't paint, but metal, which tarnishes with time and use, giving it a tactile quality. I like to imagine how it feels in the hand, the weight and balance, what it feels like to use at a table. Think about the individual marks and scratches on its surface. Each one tells a story about the fork's life and journey through time. Forks like this one remind me of the artist Dieter Roth who also blurred the line between art and everyday life. His work was also about embracing chance and letting materials age and decay. He was always interested in the messiness of life. This humble fork speaks to those ideas, it reminds me that art is not just about aesthetics but about how we interact with the world around us, what could be more essential than a fork?