The best things in life are free

Dominic Wilcox plays with the idea of value and luxury

Dominic Wilcox is an artist, designer, inventor and a real thinker. He works within the territory of the 'everyday'. Everydayobjects such as environments, buildings, as well as general interaction, no area of normality is out of reach. His work is often portrayed out of wit and human concepts, for example one of his projects 'Luxury skimming stones'. He hand picked each stone whilst travelling the U.K and Italy, then created 24ct gold leafed skimming stones complete with individually made to fit leather pouches.

"His work is often portrayed out of wit and human concepts"

Skimming (or skipping) stones are an age old pastime, the act of skimming a flat stone across the surface of the water in hope of making it bounce as many times as possible. With this idea, as the stone's time of use lasts only a few seconds, this increases the perceived luxuriousness. Deciding when, or to ever throw the stone may prove a difficult decision for many. Dominic has written a story,

'He knew the moment had arrived at last, the stars had aligned, the perfect balance of stillness and silence were upon him. He stood facing the shimmering lake and felt a calmness descend. After thirty four years, two month and twenty two days of waiting and searching he unbuckled his leather pouch and gently slid out the golden skimming stone. The stone had sat in the pouch patiently awaiting its time, its reason for existence. He held the stone delicately in his throwing hand and carefully wrapped his index finger along its glimmering edge. His mind started to race with doubt: 'Will I skim it perfectly, the way it deserves after all this wait? What if I throw it wrongly and it just sinks?'. He looked at the stone and it gleamed back at him in such a beautiful way that it was as though the stone was speaking to him. He felt calm again, stretched back his arm, took a deep breath, made a wish and threw the golden stone with all his might at the water's surface.'