Cuttings

This series features strong, intuitive marks confidently hewn out of the surface of lead crystal. The process of making cuts in this instance is less about applied decoration and closer to sculpture. The tactile crystal forms feel rugged and primitive in the hand; fingers naturally seek out the smooth hollows and crisp ridges of the cuts.

Italian designer Martino Gamper is a natural interventionist - cutting to create shape and interest is characteristic of his work.

For J. HILL's Standard, Gamper worked directly with the crystal, removing the material in a motion that echoes the gesture of the turf cutter – wielding the sléan (Irish for the two sided spade) in long, clean cuts with sharply defined angular edges. 

Going to the bog to save the turf is an age old Irish tradition. Entire families, strong tea and a dram of whiskey were all essential to the job of cutting enough peat to keep fires lit over winter.  The smell of a peat fire can bring any Irish person immediately back to their childhood and has much in common with the smell of fine whiskey.

The resulting distinctive cuts appear across a family of functional and sculptural barware.