Of
Titus Arno
Black, dented, warped: the bowl looks as if it came from an archaeological dig. If you run your fingers over it, you will be surprised that it is not fired clay but wood. To be more precise, stone pine, the type of wood so typical of the Central Alps, which smells aromatic, is said to have all sorts of health-promoting effects and is ideal for carving and making furniture. Othmar Prenner likes to transform his favorite material by exposing it to very hot flames until the wood has burned almost beyond recognition. When the work is done, the artist often looks as sooty as a miner after a shift in the coal mine. He also sometimes accidentally burns off a piece of his beard.