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- Feb 27, 2001
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- 26,713
We have seen this before, but now we have some information from the makers.
I had to resize a few of the photos (forgive me for some of the distortion.)
Some of Vans words:
As for the concept of the Short sword I will try to explain it like I did in the beginning with Buster before he passed away. After I explained it a bit he got the Idea of what I was trying to do and thought it was very cool and definitely unique. ( That gives an idea of how long this major 4 1/2 year project took.!!)
[FONT="]I think the piece went over great because everyone thought it was a Scepter lol, and that was part of the illusion.
[/FONT] I have so many design ideas stuck in my head that I finally got to do one of the puzzler pieces.
The idea behind this entire series of knives is " Illusion", to be able to create an art knife that can stand on it's own when told that is one thing but can also be something entirely different if told that is what it is, hence the "Scepter" or the gold dagger named "Golden Heart" because of the solid gold heart of the knife that is hidden inside.
I guess what makes it hard to understand for some, is first not having seen it in both views and under both names, when seen that way you can visualize the illusion and the short sword or large dagger ( I prefer large dagger) at the same time.
If you saw the name for it as the "Scepter" that is what you will see at first, but if one was told it was a "large dagger" that is what they would see, and it's hard to grasp because it's never been done before. It is a knife that is also a total piece of art depending on how you look at it.
This is a total new concept on an art knife so it is hard for people to see two things at once that are totally two different things, not just a knife that is carved to look like something but is still very much a knife, but to be able to be seen as one or the other alone, albeit at the same time.
That's where the illusion comes in - to have made something in such a way that you can see both things.
But depending on the description you are given at the onset decides how the mind defines it. Strange but true! And that ( to me ) is the true art of it.
That is how this piece was designed to be seen, so as to try to enter a entire different area of knife appreciation, so to speak, like those who don't care much for knives but love elaborate art that's where this comes in because you get both worlds. So it can be the golden art piece that could be taken for an artistic interpretation of part of the crown jewels with the acoutraments when sheathed, or it can be a beautiful large solid gold dagger covered in gems with an obsidian stand, because the guard fits so close to the sheath tube that it looks like one piece when sheathed and one would have no idea that there was a 19 inch solid gold blade inside.
So look at it in the sheath and have it called a "Scepter" to you and that is all you will see, but take it out of the sheath and have someone say look at this "gold dagger" and sheath and that is all you will see even when you put it back in it's sheath. That is the illusion.
I had to resize a few of the photos (forgive me for some of the distortion.)
Some of Vans words:
As for the concept of the Short sword I will try to explain it like I did in the beginning with Buster before he passed away. After I explained it a bit he got the Idea of what I was trying to do and thought it was very cool and definitely unique. ( That gives an idea of how long this major 4 1/2 year project took.!!)
[FONT="]I think the piece went over great because everyone thought it was a Scepter lol, and that was part of the illusion.
[/FONT] I have so many design ideas stuck in my head that I finally got to do one of the puzzler pieces.
The idea behind this entire series of knives is " Illusion", to be able to create an art knife that can stand on it's own when told that is one thing but can also be something entirely different if told that is what it is, hence the "Scepter" or the gold dagger named "Golden Heart" because of the solid gold heart of the knife that is hidden inside.
I guess what makes it hard to understand for some, is first not having seen it in both views and under both names, when seen that way you can visualize the illusion and the short sword or large dagger ( I prefer large dagger) at the same time.
If you saw the name for it as the "Scepter" that is what you will see at first, but if one was told it was a "large dagger" that is what they would see, and it's hard to grasp because it's never been done before. It is a knife that is also a total piece of art depending on how you look at it.
This is a total new concept on an art knife so it is hard for people to see two things at once that are totally two different things, not just a knife that is carved to look like something but is still very much a knife, but to be able to be seen as one or the other alone, albeit at the same time.
That's where the illusion comes in - to have made something in such a way that you can see both things.
But depending on the description you are given at the onset decides how the mind defines it. Strange but true! And that ( to me ) is the true art of it.
That is how this piece was designed to be seen, so as to try to enter a entire different area of knife appreciation, so to speak, like those who don't care much for knives but love elaborate art that's where this comes in because you get both worlds. So it can be the golden art piece that could be taken for an artistic interpretation of part of the crown jewels with the acoutraments when sheathed, or it can be a beautiful large solid gold dagger covered in gems with an obsidian stand, because the guard fits so close to the sheath tube that it looks like one piece when sheathed and one would have no idea that there was a 19 inch solid gold blade inside.
So look at it in the sheath and have it called a "Scepter" to you and that is all you will see, but take it out of the sheath and have someone say look at this "gold dagger" and sheath and that is all you will see even when you put it back in it's sheath. That is the illusion.
Isn't that the one he had on display at Blade Show ?
.
A lot of us will be reading more about this effort in months to come. 
