Cradle of our modern societies, Greece conjures up images of the beautifully preserved Cyclades Islands, the intense blue of the Mediterranean juxtaposed with the immaculate white of the houses, and countless temples and exceptional archaeological sites. But with her MOON hook, Faye Tsakalides reminds us that behind the postcard images, past and present Greece are linked by a wealth of skills still very much in evidence around its many antique marble quarries, which are just as prestigious as their little cousins in Carrara in Italy.
Made in Macedonia, a region of northern Greece nestled between sea and mountains, the MOON hook is created from the marble that used to be popular with sculptors and architects for its exceptional luminosity and its hues ranging from white to grey, sometimes with coral-red streaks.
If the art of choosing the right marble is passed down through the ages, the way of sculpting it has changed dramatically. Numerical control machine-tools have replaced chisels of yore and now allow ‘sculptors’ to complete in a few minutes what required days or even weeks in the the past. part from making accessible what used to be reserved for an elite, today’s techniques allow above all the accomplishing of feats that would astonish sculptors from ancient times by opening up new creative perspectives to today’s designers. And to reassure those nostalgic for the ‘hand- made’, though machines have reduced the laborious chiselling process, they don’t replace the essential work carried out at each end of the process: the choice of the right marble for its purpose, and the finishing – an indispensable stage that makes all the difference.
