Tom Sachs "The Sacrifice" (2013) - thing with tools and balls in vectran scrotum

Maniacy

Maniacy

New Member
Hi friends - this is not a prop from a film but rather a prop from a museum, or better yet - from an art gallery.

Tom Sachs 2012 thing "The Sacrifice" (which I believe he made for his own wedding). I want all those things.
(However, the photo on the right is from TSs tumblr, the text refers mainly to the left photo, as it appears there are different things in both versions.)

2012148thesacrificehome.jpg tumblr_m9f6pg8qJi1rpppd0o1_1280.jpg

I need help with:
- Olfa box cutters (can anyone identify exactly which model this is?)
- Mitutoyo 530-101 Vernier Caliper (I can only find a metric version, can you see whether this is imperial? I suspect it should be imperial, not metric.)
- the sharpie

I have no clue about:
- the switchblade on the right (SOLVED)
- vectran scrotum (anyone can point me to this kind of vectran?)
- the pliers
- the two pens behind the sharpie
- the glasses
- the vise grip
- the tie


I can identify:
- Pentel P209-G 9mm drafting pencil
- Pentel P207-G 7mm drafting pencil
- Stanley 69-122 6-1/16-Inch Wood Handle Scratch Awl
- Fiskars 8'' orange handle fabric scissors
- Stanley 12ft Power Lock 3/4" Wide Measuring Tape 33-312, ca 1990
- 1'' Tungsten Steel balls from McMaster Carr (#9598K84)
- "DEBASER" Tom Sachs tie clip (http://tomsachs.org/item/space-program-tie-clip)
- boxcutter lanyard - HERMES Brown Ribbon *Au Fil du Fleuve* *As the River Flows" 2005.

- Golden Acrylics C.P. Cadmium Yellow Medium Golden # 1130-6 SERIES 7 (McDonalds Yellow)
- Benjamin Moore Impervex LATEX High Gloss Metal and Wood Enamel Brilliant Red 309 20 (McDonalds Red)


Cheers,


PS: I know that TheRPF member @asavage is a personal friend of Tom Sachs so Adam if you read this, feel free to comment.
 
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I want to nominate this for the strangest threat title.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I appreciate it. :)
To clarify, it wasn't my idea to label this as balls in a scrotum, it was really Tom Sachs who explained this in a lecture.
[video=vimeo;63487412]https://vimeo.com/63487412[/video]
 
Well, I'm learning more and more. Now I feel invested in this thread...

Clarify what "need help with" and "no clue about" means. Are you just looking for models?

The Sharpie looks standard. I have one on my desk.

I think the utility knife is the Olfa 5003 L-1.

I think the calipers are more likely the Mitutoyo 530-312. They have markings on both sides, whereas the 101 model doesn't. I do think they're metric.

I think there's one of these pens in there, but obviously with a red bottom instead of blue.

You didn't identify it or list it as one needing identified, but there's also a blue Pentel Clic Eraser. The one I have on my desk says ZE22 as a model.

Those are some of the easier ones anyway.

-Rog
 
Let's see, what else...

The pliers and Vise Grips are going to be hard since you can't see what the business end looks like, but I would guess that the Vise Grips are the needle nose variety or the next size down in the "common" ones, based on the relative size. If that's them in the second picture barely sticking out in the back then I would say the small regular ones.

There are a few manufacturers that make blue-handled pliers, including Klein and Snap-On (Blue-Point line). To me they actually look like diagonal cutters (commonly called dikes) rather than pliers.

-Rog
 
Wow, these are some really nice finds, thanks a lot for your effort!
Yes, I'm only looking for a shopping list for the next time find myself stateside.

I definitely agree that the Mitutoyo calipers should be a match, good find.
The Olfa box cutters look almose spot-on as well, maybe just an older model?

I've only added the second picture after writing the whole post so I haven't even looked for the Pentel Click Eraser, but even if I had, I would've never seen this as an eraser!! :-D
 
I'm also thinking about whether, if I replicate one of those, I should take some freedom and use a cheaper alternative to tungsten balls. The tungsten balls are 67$ A PIECE, while comparable balls of steel cost only 6.22$ for a pack of TEN.
Of course, tungsten is 1.7 times the weight of lead, so even if I find poisonous 1'' lead balls, the weight of the whole replica would be off a significant margin.

Then, if I DO decide to get tungsten balls I would like to get metric instead of imperial balls, and buy 3 cm balls. (So that my tungsten balls are larger than Toms.) However, so far I haven't been able to find a source for 3 cm balls of tungsten. I must admit, "imperial balls" does have a nicer ring to it though. I might just end up buying the cheapest 1'' balls I can find and forego authenticity for availability while keeping true to the external measurements.
 
I found another detail that I think should go here. The measuring tape features the following modification:
Capture.PNG
(STANLEY KUBRICK IS DEAD.)

this is a screenshot from this video showing Sachs measuring various outside tsructures of the unitè d'habitation in Marseilles. I don't know for sure if this is the tape that was subsequently used in this artwork. edit: it's definitely not the same tape, this is 25' while the tape in the sacrifice is a 12' model.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q87OrkCyAQ&list=PL0C0D81CB001205AE
 
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Just a couple more details on the vectran:
Apparently this particular piece of vectran was given to Sachs during his residency at JPL in Pasadena. (I visited a friend there in 2011, but didn't bother asking for vectran.) It is the same vectran that was used for landing the Mars ****ing Rover. This means that getting an identical piece is unlikely neigh impossible.

"The fabric used for the new Mars airbags is a synthetic material called Vectran that was also used on Mars Pathfinder. Vectran has almost twice the strength of other synthetic materials, such as Kevlar, and performs better at cold temperatures.
Denier is a term that measures the diameter of the thread used in the product. There are six 100-denier layers of the light but tough Vectran protecting one or two inner bladders of the same material in 200-denier. Using the 100-denier means there is more actual fabric in the outer layers where it is needed, because there are more threads in the weave."
 
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This may be useful from a tool selection standpoint. Its an image from Tom Sachs website with some of the tools he recommends (From Bricolage Issue #1)
These are the max res that are available from the website itself.

7831d1960d85e8096877205132fc0c18 (1).jpgf3a2cc0a9ea78b55a600d0405522f294.jpg
 
blackkat said:
This may be useful from a tool selection standpoint. Its an image from Tom Sachs website with some of the tools he recommends (From Bricolage Issue #1)
These are the max res that are available from the website itself.

View attachment 596585View attachment 596586
Click to expand...

In the meantime I purchased this zine. They're quite hard to come by in Europe, as most offers are from the US and shipping (as well as the prices for the zines themselves) are prohibitive. If anyone cares I will post a high-res scan of that page.

The knife is the Delica 4, with combination blade (serrated / straight edge). The white version of the Spyder Delica was made upon request of Tom Sachs, and he then had his studio assistant engrave the NASA symbol. (To be fair: he likely made the first ones himself and had his assistant complete the remaining ones.) As far as I can tell the NASA type is engraved and then colored in red paint (probably Benjamin Moore Impervex LATEX High Gloss Metal and Wood Enamel Brilliant Red 309 20). There is a picture of one of his assistants in the zine mentioned above doing just that.

https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=328
However, the one used in the piece is just IMHO a standard Spyderco Delica 4.
 
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I was asked to provide the full "Everything you need" list so here it is:

81fd951a2f14701d5e1131ffbd672766.jpg


62e9d7d2abe85862aeb4873cce3e0329.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Old but good list and "The Sacrifice" is a favorite piece. Updates: TS is feeling kinder about digital calipers than he was in 2012. Some power tools are not available anymore in the listed models/voltages. Also Bessey clamps are made in Germany (or China) but are available on Amazon now and etc. so the price could be updated to $USD but the whole issue of whether they'd still be recommended when made in China is debatable. Maybe they're still the best option? Who pays $15 for 100 sheets of laser printer paper? Tom Sachs I guess. It is Manhattan, and he might be buying it from the corner store not even the CVS.
 
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