Oh, Internet. Without you, we’d be unaware of so many things. Cat videos would be solely for their owners’ enjoyment, and picking apart various Marvel films and BBC shows for Easter eggs would be a solo mission. Aside from not having sites dedicated to our entertainment, we’d be notoriously uninformed about a number of things–including this awesome saw art, courtesy of this article on Mashable.
Dan Rawlings, a United Kingdom-based artist, creates incredibly intricate artwork out of–you guessed it–saws.
Rawlings’ first solo show, Untranslated, was featured at Curious Duke Gallery in London from May 5-28, 2016. His saw pieces, with their unique intricacy and seeming fragility, quickly gained the media’s attention. According to Mashable, the show focused on words that don’t have a direct English translation, like “Waldeinsamkeit”–the title of the above piece–meaning “feeling connected to nature in woodland.” Rawlings says that the names words he’s chosen for his pieces in the show are designed to emphasize “the importance of dreaming, to enjoy the simpler moments.”
Other pieces in the show were also constructed from various metals. Aside from saws both rusty and new, Rawlings’ pieces in Untranslated were constructed from such materials as a 747 plane wing, a gas tank, and a fire extinguisher.
Rawlings aims to construct a feeling with his artwork. As per Curious Duke’s website, he states that he wants to “ create images that remind people of the moments when everything seems possible and free; times when climbing a tree, or sitting admiring the way its branches twist and curl means nothing, but means everything.” His use of saws as a medium rather than a tool is based on nostalgia as well as a belief that commercialism drives selfishness. According to Rawlings, old farm tools and saws are reminiscent of a time “ when things were simpler, not easier, but the concerns of everyday people were fundamental and shared.”
Take a look at some more of Rawlings’ art below to get a sense for his work. Rawlings’ work is hardly comfortable in one conventional medium–or unconventional medium, for that matter.
You can find out more about Dan Rawlings and his artwork, both saw art and otherwise, here.
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