As part of Ferrous this year, there’s going to be a series of talks and lectures from world-leading smiths going on all over town. Like TED talks, just with more sparks.
There are five hour-long talks in all, spanning Friday and Saturday, with speakers coming all the way from Canada and Sweden, and Bath.
Here’s when and where they’re happening – and some clips from those getting involved.
Friday:
Karl Hallberg - Crafting Public Space: about craft and its role in the community
1pm - Friday, April 5. The Courtyard, Edgar Street.
Karl is an academic and artist, who teaches at the prestigious Steneby school in Sweden (who also have a show at Ferrous on Gomond St) - he's also involved in a fascinating community project called Not Quite in Sweden, which is a village of around 600 people that takes its identity from the artistic projects that happen there.
Matt Jenkins - Blacksmithing without tradition
3pm - Friday, April 5. The Courtyard, Edgar Street.
“The buddy that I started at the forge with, he would hover off to the farmers houses and tell stories and flirt with the girls while I was slaving away in the blacksmith shop. Now he’s telling stories across North America and still here blacksmithing”. Going on his Blacksmith HER podcast appearance, he's got pretty good at telling stories to - as well as very good at blacksmithing.
The 2015 Design and Drawing winner at Stia, he's based at Cloverdale Forge in Manitoba, Canada where he uses traditional tools to design for modern day needs.
Find out more about Matt here. And listen to that podcast here
Saturday:
Andy Thearle - Reflecting on Bath Iron
10am - Saturday April 6. The Loft Cinema,West St
Andy has worked in forges across the world, from Melbourne to Belgium - but his particular interest is in heritage projects. One of the driving forces behind the popular Bath Iron festival, he's going to be talking about an ambitious project run in conjuction with last years' Bath Iron to install a handcrafted bandstand balustrade.
Bryan Hall - Conservation of the Hereford Screen
11.30am - Saturday April 6. The Loft Cinema,West St
On display at the V&A, the Hereford Screen is one of the most incredible and ornate pieces of the Victorian Era. I mean, look at it. Before being installed in the Hereford Cathedral - just down t he road from the Loft Cinema - it was part of a major showin London. Brian Hall, the director of Hall Conservation talks preservation, and about this beautiful piece.
Read more about screen in a great feature on British Art Studies here.
Hector Cole - Working with archaeologists to research and recreate found artefacts
1.30pm - Saturday April 6. The Loft Cinema,West St
One of the best things about ironwork is how notably not new it is. Hector Cole MBE - a master arrowsmith and archaelogical ironworker - is the best person to explain just how far back that history traces, and how he uses his skills to better understand our past.
Hector's work can be seen in museums throughout Europe, and on TV shows where he advises on how to get swordsmiths looking more like swordsmiths.