Tools

The first tools evolved to collect food

A collaborative experience created for special guests to celebrate artist-blacksmith Conrad Hicks solo exhibition, ‘Implement’ showing at one of South Africa’s foremost galleries, Southern Guild, May-July 2019, in association with BMW South Africa.

The experience begins with a cocktail by Hope using their South African Agave spirit in the Foyer of The Bijou.
The guests then take a secret passage to my studio where ‘Petrichor’, a 15 minute, immersive, sensorial experience using film, sound, scent and fire, about the smell of rain is performed (see more on this here…).
This was followed by a dinner of discovery inside Conrad Hicks’ cathedral-like workshop, which centres around the theme of how the first tools evolved to collect food.

The meal was created with layers of meaning, using ingredients and implements for eating that have history and significance from Conrad and Caro’s discoveries, both individually and together.
The guests were given a hand forged knife made by Conrad as a keep-sake and this was their only ‘conventional’ tool to eat with during the meal.

The food was paired with pre-release, small-batch wines from Krone and Twee Jonge Gezellen, as well as a limited release from Reyneke, one of South Africa’s most distinctive biodynamic farms.

Music for the evening was composed by Italian flautist Alessandro Gigli layered with sounds from the machines and tools in Conrad’s studio forge.
He also wrote the music for ‘Petrichor’.

All photographs by Adel Ferreira.

The evening was held at The Bijou, home to Conrad’s studio-forge and my atelier.