Black Star: A Stellar Fusion of Wood and Art

Klaus Kirchner's Award-Winning Vessel Design Marries Craftsmanship and Innovation

The Black Star is a unique vessel design that emerged from Kirchner's fascination with the cosmos and his desire to transform mundane wood into an aesthetically pleasing object. The design was inspired by a wooden wall sculpture featuring star-shaped holes and a ceramic vessel adorned with dots. Kirchner imagined the result of merging these two elements into a single wood-turned piece, leading to the creation of the Black Star.

The strength of the Black Star lies in its unique properties. Kirchner has transformed wood species that lack grain or color into an object that is not only visually appealing but also offers an interesting haptic experience. The vessel is handcrafted, starting with woodturning to form the outside and hollow the inside. The outer surface is then drilled and formed into holes, which are later stained with color. A pyrographic pen adds further embellishment, and finally, the object is charred black, lending a soft, warm touch and creating contrast.

The Black Star is crafted using woodturning and alder wood. The wood is turned using hand tools, and a hole is drilled in the middle. The inside is partially hollowed, leaving a thicker wall to accommodate the many holes drilled freehand. The holes are formed into cones using an eye-drill-bit, and an orange color stain is applied. The vessel is then embellished with stars using a pyrographic pen before being charred black with a gas torch.

The vessel measures 220 mm in width, 220 mm in depth, and 180 mm in height. The design tags associated with the Black Star include organic, futuristic, zen, wasisabi, space, star, interiors, black, and vessel. When placed on a shelf or table with light from the side, the vessel's beauty is fully revealed. The texture and material can also be appreciated by touch.

The Black Star was crafted over three days in Kirchner's workshop in Hanau. The design was initially experimented with on a smaller scale vessel made from cherry wood. The smaller vessel only had flat holes, but for the Black Star, the holes were formed into little cones to achieve a more organic look. The challenge was to create a larger version that looked as good as, or better than, the smaller one.

The Black Star was awarded Silver in the A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award in 2020. The Silver A' Design Award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that demonstrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.