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Three Knives, Three Worlds – the story behind the triptych. There are cultures that do not view the world as a straight line. Not as a beginning, middle and end. Not as heaven above, earth here and hell below. In the Andean worldview, reality is rather a living tapestry: visible and invisible, present and remembered, material and spiritual at the same time. Everything is interconnected — mountains, animals, ancestors, water, stars, people, tools, paths and cities.
This way of thinking gives rise to the concept of the knife triptych: three artists design three blades as symbolic representations of the Andean world. Sipion focuses on the Hanan Pacha, Rustoy on the Uku Pacha, and Naylamp develops a contemporary, urban interpretation of the Kay Pacha in the form of the Limak Pacha. The knives thus become far more than mere decorative objects: they become vessels of cultural memory, spiritual symbolism and modern identity.
This way of thinking gives rise to the concept of the knife triptych: three artists design three blades as symbolic representations of the Andean world. Sipion focuses on the Hanan Pacha, Rustoy on the Uku Pacha, and Naylamp develops a contemporary, urban interpretation of the Kay Pacha in the form of the Limak Pacha. The knives thus become far more than mere decorative objects: they become vessels of cultural memory, spiritual symbolism and modern identity.
The Tryptichon Knife: The Story Behind the Peruvian Artists' Collective
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What does “Pacha” mean?
The key to understanding lies in the word ‘Pacha’. The term cannot be fully translated into a single English word. Depending on the context, Pacha means world, space, earth, time, age or a coherent reality. What is particularly crucial here is that, in Andean thought, space and time are not separate from one another.
Space and time as a single entity
Pacha describes not only a place, but also a state of being and a cosmic order. In scientific terms, the concept is often interpreted as a form of ‘space-time’ or ‘world-time’. In this context, the past, present and future do not exist in isolation, but are interconnected.
Differences from the Western world view
For Central European readers, this concept often seems unfamiliar. Western thinking is frequently dominated by opposites such as nature and culture, spirit and matter, or life and death. The Andean cosmovision also recognises opposites — but regards them not as absolute divisions, but as interconnected forces.
Above and below, light and darkness, life and death do not form a rigid system, but rather a dynamic balance. As a result, the world is constantly in motion.
Space and time as a single entity
Pacha describes not only a place, but also a state of being and a cosmic order. In scientific terms, the concept is often interpreted as a form of ‘space-time’ or ‘world-time’. In this context, the past, present and future do not exist in isolation, but are interconnected.
Differences from the Western world view
For Central European readers, this concept often seems unfamiliar. Western thinking is frequently dominated by opposites such as nature and culture, spirit and matter, or life and death. The Andean cosmovision also recognises opposites — but regards them not as absolute divisions, but as interconnected forces.
Above and below, light and darkness, life and death do not form a rigid system, but rather a dynamic balance. As a result, the world is constantly in motion.
The Three Levels of the Andean World
In many accounts of Andean mythology, the world is divided into three realms: Hanan Pacha, Kay Pacha and Uku Pacha. These realms are not separate spaces, but interconnected aspects of a shared reality.
Mountains, caves, springs, animals and ritual sites are often regarded as gateways between these realms.
Hanan Pacha – The Upper World
Hanan Pacha refers to the upper, celestial realm. It is associated with the sun, the moon, the stars, weather phenomena and divine powers. It is often symbolically linked to the condor — the bird that acts as a mediator between heaven and earth.
For European readers, Hanan Pacha can, with some caution, be compared to a celestial dimension. However, not in the purely Christian sense of a paradise after death. Rather, it refers to a cosmic order from which light, fertility and spiritual presence radiate out into the world.
In the ‘Knife Triptych’, Sipion interprets this dimension. His blade symbolises vastness, perspective, light and the connection to the higher order.
Mountains, caves, springs, animals and ritual sites are often regarded as gateways between these realms.
Hanan Pacha – The Upper World
Hanan Pacha refers to the upper, celestial realm. It is associated with the sun, the moon, the stars, weather phenomena and divine powers. It is often symbolically linked to the condor — the bird that acts as a mediator between heaven and earth.
For European readers, Hanan Pacha can, with some caution, be compared to a celestial dimension. However, not in the purely Christian sense of a paradise after death. Rather, it refers to a cosmic order from which light, fertility and spiritual presence radiate out into the world.
In the ‘Knife Triptych’, Sipion interprets this dimension. His blade symbolises vastness, perspective, light and the connection to the higher order.
Hanan Pacha – The Upper World
Hanan Pacha refers to the upper, celestial realm. It is associated with the sun, the moon, the stars, weather phenomena and divine powers. It is often symbolically linked to the condor — the bird that acts as a mediator between heaven and earth.
For European readers, Hanan Pacha can, with some caution, be compared to a celestial dimension. However, not in the purely Christian sense of a paradise after death. Rather, it refers to a cosmic order from which light, fertility and spiritual presence radiate out into the world.
In the ‘Knife Triptych’, Sipion interprets this dimension. His blade symbolises vastness, perspective, light and the connection to the higher order.
For European readers, Hanan Pacha can, with some caution, be compared to a celestial dimension. However, not in the purely Christian sense of a paradise after death. Rather, it refers to a cosmic order from which light, fertility and spiritual presence radiate out into the world.
In the ‘Knife Triptych’, Sipion interprets this dimension. His blade symbolises vastness, perspective, light and the connection to the higher order.
Kay Pacha – The World of the Here and Now
Kay Pacha roughly translates as ‘this world’. It is the realm of humans, animals, plants and everyday life. Birth, work, change and experience all take place here.
Yet even this visible world is imbued with spirituality in Andean thought. Mountains, paths, springs and fields possess memory and significance. The landscape is not lifeless, but part of a living order.
Limak Pacha – Lima as a modern-day Pacha
This is where Naylamp’s concept of Limak Pacha comes in. It does not replace Kay Pacha, but rather translates the idea into the present-day context of the city of Lima.
Lima is not merely a modern metropolis of concrete, traffic and growth. Beneath the city as we know it today, older layers continue to exist: pre-Spanish cultures, huacas, colonial history, migration and urban memory.
Limak Pacha brings the contemporary world to life. The ‘here and now’ is given a real setting: Lima as a vibrant, contradictory and culturally rich Pacha.
Yet even this visible world is imbued with spirituality in Andean thought. Mountains, paths, springs and fields possess memory and significance. The landscape is not lifeless, but part of a living order.
Limak Pacha – Lima as a modern-day Pacha
This is where Naylamp’s concept of Limak Pacha comes in. It does not replace Kay Pacha, but rather translates the idea into the present-day context of the city of Lima.
Lima is not merely a modern metropolis of concrete, traffic and growth. Beneath the city as we know it today, older layers continue to exist: pre-Spanish cultures, huacas, colonial history, migration and urban memory.
Limak Pacha brings the contemporary world to life. The ‘here and now’ is given a real setting: Lima as a vibrant, contradictory and culturally rich Pacha.
Uku Pacha – The Inner World
Uku Pacha is often translated as ‘the underworld’. However, it is more accurately described as the ‘inner world’. This is because Uku Pacha is not a hell in the European sense.
This level symbolises depth, the earth, ancestors, seeds, memory and transformation. Here, the hidden realm embodies not only darkness, but also fertility and origin. Within the earth lie water, new life and the power of renewal.
For Western readers, this distinction is particularly important: in Andean symbolism, ‘below’ is not merely negative. It is at once the place of the past and of becoming.
Rustoy’s Uku Pacha therefore embodies the invisible forces beneath the surface — those memories and energies that shape the visible world.
This level symbolises depth, the earth, ancestors, seeds, memory and transformation. Here, the hidden realm embodies not only darkness, but also fertility and origin. Within the earth lie water, new life and the power of renewal.
For Western readers, this distinction is particularly important: in Andean symbolism, ‘below’ is not merely negative. It is at once the place of the past and of becoming.
Rustoy’s Uku Pacha therefore embodies the invisible forces beneath the surface — those memories and energies that shape the visible world.
Why a knife triptych?
The term ‘triptych’ originates from art history and refers to a work consisting of three parts. This name is particularly apt for this series of knives, as the three blades do not function independently of one another.
Three knives, one world order
Together, they create a tension between heaven, earth and memory.
Not a linear narrative
The triptych does not tell a linear story with a beginning and an end. The three levels operate simultaneously and complement one another. It is only when taken together that the complete cosmological order emerges.
Three knives, one world order
- Hanan Pasha looks up.
- Uku Pacha leads into the depths.
- Limak Pacha anchors order in the present.
Together, they create a tension between heaven, earth and memory.
Not a linear narrative
The triptych does not tell a linear story with a beginning and an end. The three levels operate simultaneously and complement one another. It is only when taken together that the complete cosmological order emerges.
Between Mythology, Design, and the Present
What makes this project special is that the Andean cosmovision is not presented in a museum-like or folkloric manner. It is not merely referenced, but is embodied in a contemporary object: the knife.
The knife as a symbol
A knife normally serves a practical purpose — it cuts, separates and refines. In the triptych, it simultaneously becomes a tool for cultural connection.
Connecting the blades:
Cultural memory in tangible form
This makes the knives more than just collector’s items. They convey cultural narratives in a contemporary form and bring the Andean cosmovision to life, without reducing it to mere decoration.
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The knife as a symbol
A knife normally serves a practical purpose — it cuts, separates and refines. In the triptych, it simultaneously becomes a tool for cultural connection.
Connecting the blades:
- Mythology and modern design
- Memory and the Present
- Craftsmanship and Symbolism
- The City and Spiritual Order
Cultural memory in tangible form
This makes the knives more than just collector’s items. They convey cultural narratives in a contemporary form and bring the Andean cosmovision to life, without reducing it to mere decoration.
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Final Thoughts
The knife triptych depicting the three Pachas does not merely recount Andean mythology. It raises a broader question: how can an ancient world view continue to exist in the present day without becoming mere folklore?
The answer lies in the connection.
Sipion, Rustoy and Naylamp create three distinct artistic approaches which, together, bring a vibrant world order to life. Hanan Pacha, Uku Pacha and Limak Pacha represent not only the past, but also an enduring cultural grammar — a way of seeing, organising and retelling the world.
In this way, the Peruvian knives become more than mere objects. They become the three blades of a shared narrative about the heavens, the earth and the depths; about Lima and the Andes; about memory, the present and that which lives on beneath the surface.
The answer lies in the connection.
Sipion, Rustoy and Naylamp create three distinct artistic approaches which, together, bring a vibrant world order to life. Hanan Pacha, Uku Pacha and Limak Pacha represent not only the past, but also an enduring cultural grammar — a way of seeing, organising and retelling the world.
In this way, the Peruvian knives become more than mere objects. They become the three blades of a shared narrative about the heavens, the earth and the depths; about Lima and the Andes; about memory, the present and that which lives on beneath the surface.
FAQ
FAQ
What does ‘Pacha’ mean in the Andean cosmovision?
Pacha describes space, time and reality all at once. The term stands for a holistic cosmic order.
What is Hanan Pacha?
Hanan Pacha refers to the upper world of the heavens and represents cosmic order, light and spiritual forces.
What is the significance of Uku Pacha?
Uku Pacha is the inner world of depth, memory, ancestors and transformation.
What does Limak Pacha mean?
Limak Pacha is a modern interpretation of Kay Pacha and links the Andean world order with the urban reality of Lima.
Why was the project designed as a triptych?
Together, the three knives represent the three levels of the Andean cosmovision and only when combined do they form a complete narrative.
Corte Aleman
The project was co-ordinated with the Peruvian artists through our partner and friend for the South American market
Corte-Alemán in Peru Marco Bollenbach
Corte Alemán Messer mit lateinamerikanischer ID
