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If you like to be challenged and for things to stretch your imagination then the forthcoming exhibition of cast iron sculpture, in front of the Darby furnace, adjacent to the Museum of Iron’s car park, Coalbrookdale, is something for you.

“Artists are attracted to cast iron because it can be used in different forms,” says one of the exhibition’s organisers, Coral Lambert, who was born in Britain but now lives in New Orleans. “Some of them choose to emphasise its natural qualities – its very solid, robust and strong appearance; while others emphasise its ‘living qualities’, such as the way it changes colour as it oxidises.”

And while some artists remind us that cast iron is found both in everyday settings, such as manhole covers and postboxes, others highlight its ornamental uses, as we see on street lamps and balconies.

For Coral and others there is something exciting about working with an element that is one of the earth’s oldest, and forms the basis for its core. None more so than Coral herself, who - interested in the history and mythology of cast iron founding, and how the metal is transformed - tries to make her work reflect what she feels is the ‘magic’ of the iron making process.

Also featuring in the exhibition will be artists well-known in their field such as the British artist Bruce Gernand, Jack Gron and Gerry Masse from the USA, and Jan Szczypka from Poland. And in the Elton Gallery, behind the museum itself, there will be a photographic display of the artists’ blast furnaces.
Also marking the significance of Ironbridge’s location will be an international conference on contemporary cast iron art (but not open to the public), entitled ‘Iron Bridging Art + Technology: Past, Present + Future.’ The event will be jointly chaired by Coral and Nick Lloyd, the former Head of Sculpture at the University of Wolverhampton, and for the first time ever is being held outside the USA – here in Shropshire!

“Ironbridge is the perfect place for us to convene,” says Coral, who is excited at the prospects of meeting in England, and hoping to generate increased interest in iron making among European artists.

“The gorge was once described as ‘the most extraordinary district in the world,’ and it is still a remarkable and beautiful place to visit today. There is so much of the early industry that survives - furnaces, factories, workshops, canals, and settlements. It’s easy to see how the area has inspired artists through the ages.”

The conference will provide an opportunity for artists from across the world - 20 Chinese will also be attending - to debate cast iron’s aesthetics, learn new processes and technical developments, and take ideas back home with them. A true melting pot of ideas!

If readers are interested, every Wednesday morning there are opportunities for people to watch cast iron making process, which takes place down the road at the Blists Hill Victorian Town.

With more and more things these days being made out of cardboard and plastic, Coral believes it is fitting that cast iron is now celebrated more for its aesthetic qualities – and the exhibition provides a good opportunity for seeing the work of today’s artists.

“The techniques that Darby, Wilkinson, and others achieved in the Severn Valley in the late 18th century,” she says, “are now being practiced by artists in today’s information age.”

The exhibition runs from 4thApril to 12th June, on the Darby Furnace Lawn, Museum of Iron, Coalbrookdale


 

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