She holds the Impaler up to the camera. It’s beautiful in a horrible way. It is not a wooden stake. That is a beginner’s tool. No, Nuria has engineered a masterpiece of medieval efficiency. A hollow, surgical steel tube, sixty centimeters long, tapering to a brutal, needle-sharp point. Near the hilt—if you can call it that—is a small, hand-cranked gearbox connected to a spiral auger inside the shaft.
Nuria Millan's inspiration for the project also stems from her interest in the history of craftsmanship and the evolution of artisanal techniques. "I've always been drawn to the work of medieval craftsmen, who were able to create incredible works of art using only basic tools and materials," she notes. "With 'The Handmade Impaler,' I wanted to see if I could apply those same principles to modern materials and techniques, while still pushing the limits of what is considered acceptable in the world of handmade."
Vlad III, more commonly known as Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Drăculea in Romanian), was a prince of Wallachia, a region in what is now Romania, in the 15th century. He is best known for the cruelty of his punishments and the brutal methods he used, including impalement, which involved piercing the body with a sharp stake, often in a public display.
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The video begins in silence. Nuria stands in her workshop, an old slaughterhouse outside Bilbao that she bought for a song. The concrete floor still has drainage channels. The air smells of hot metal and cold decay.
Nuria’s personal take on the balance between design and utility.