Barrelhand presents
Today, we are delighted to present Anom Artifacts by Michael Sorkin, also a co-founder of Barrelhand. Michael is a technology entrepreneur, pilot, avid traveler and artist who has merged his diverse perspectives into this unique project.
Artifacts are palm-sized sculptures and part of an open-ended collection with a first limited batch of 10 pieces exclusively available through the Barrelhand Shop.
"Barrelhand is a collective platform for the next chapter of space exploration. We invite artists, enthusiasts and engineers to help us on this mission and develop products that meet both the technical and psychological needs of our soon space faring civilization. This includes tools like Monolith, as well as spiritual items like art and play that will enrich extended stays away from our home planet."
Karel Bachand
Capturing our Zeitgeist
Taking the shape of palm-sized sculptures, Artifacts are conceived through a symbiotic journey between humans and machines. Their creation resulted from a merger of human imagination and some of the most advanced AI modeling tools, producing a design that feels both complex and organic.
Inspired by ancient artifacts, such as the Sabu Disk, that leave a sense of wonder for the mysteries and realities of past civilizations, Anom Artifacts reflect our own unique Zeitgeist. Our world today is defined by an expansion of reality from the physical to the digital, merging humanity into a single collective that is enhanced and challenged by an exponential rise of technological capabilities.
Artifacts are crafted by merging ancient and novel technologies. The digital design is materialized through a 3D printing process, which in turn provides the foundation for a casting mold. The resulting object is a seamless piece of metal, featuring geometries that would be impossible to create using purely conventional fabrication methods.
While simple in their appearance at first, Artifacts reveal an intricate geometry that reflect their methods of creation. They can be interpreted as a timestamp for our current era, preserving their energy for centuries to come.
Experience and explore
Artifacts provide a canvas for your individual curiosity and interpretation. You may perceive them as sculptures, as technology or as companions inviting you to interact.
Artifacts might be your companions, lasting a lifetime and beyond. Their spirit resonates through both their design and choice of materials. In the initial batch, Artifacts are made of solid brass, which develops natural patination and structural deviations over time. This gives them a unique character, imprinting the passage of time, environmental influences, and individual interactions. Furthermore, brass is deeply intertwined with diverse spiritual traditions like Hinduism. It is linked with sacred rituals and ceremonies, symbolizing strength, abundance, and the illumination of wisdom and knowledge in spiritual practices.
Whether safeguarded in your museum-grade archival box or deployed in the field, these creations weave a shared narrative, intertwining the artwork, its keeper, and the universe they navigate together.
"In the age of screens and algorithms, we're rediscovering the power of the senses. Anom Artifacts become conduits for this reawakening, offering tactile experiences that ground us in a world increasingly drifting into the virtual. These anomalous sculptures, in their unique way, reignite a sense of childlike wonder amidst the complexities and routine of our digital adulthood.”
Michael Sorkin
Scope of delivery
- Anom 42
- Original artifact identification tag *
- Custom metal-edged archival box (DIN EN ISO 9706 - buffered, aging-resistant, acid- & lignin free)
- Custom 100% organic felt underlay, archival thread
- Yellow Sunshine® Polishing Cloth (Made in Japan)
* If lost, no copy will be available.
Acquire Anom 42 in our Shop or find more perspectives in the gallery on Instagram.
