Wallpaper* Re-Made
2020/21
For the first edition of Wallpaper* Re-Made we teamed up with Swiss knife expert Victorinox to do a modern interpretation of the arrotino, or knife grinder, that has been travelling around Italy for centuries, sharpening blades in the streets.
The project is a concept and one-off prototype that envisions a potential service; a direct-to-customer service booked via a digital booking system and delivered on your doorstep. The aim is to inspire and educate; designers and manufacturers need to tackle premature obsolescence – when a product’s short lifespan leads to wasteful and costly replacements for customers – and support the ‘right to repair’.
During 2019-2021 we refined the project’s design into a functioning prototype, composed of a compact water-cooled blade sharpener securely housed in a specially adapted cargo box that sits on an electric bike. The sharpening machine is mounted on a sheet of recycled plastic that conceals a rechargeable battery pack. Features such as a knife holder (storing up to six knives) and dedicated storage for accessories (including a compound block and a leather cloth for polishing) have all been integrated seamlessly into the design. Along with the iconic Victorinox red of the cargo box, these elements speak to the compact multifunctionality of the original Swiss Army knife. The final touch to the customer experience is a considered packaging, including cardboard sleeves and a Victorinox Red tape dispenser to safely secure the newly sharpened knives. The solution to the mobility side of the project came with the introduction of a third collaborator, the aptly named Butchers & Bicycles, a Copenhagen-based cargo e-bike manufacturer. This increases productivity without leaving a large carbon footprint.
The knife sharpening concept is a celebration of craftsmanship and quality-made objects that can be passed down to future generations. Shown in print in Wallpaper* Re-Made 2020 and 2021 and the opening of Victorinox Brunnen store in 2022.
