Karen Allerton arts
BLACKSMITHING - DAVID HYDE - VERDIGRIS
A small focused group of young people were given the opportunity to work on a one to one basis with local Artist Blacksmith, David Hyde.
Each young person had hands on experience of a number of skills used in the forging process and created at least one individual piece which forms an integral part of a collaborative piece created with cast and wrought iron elements.
The young people were involved in the creative decision-making process working alongside David and Karen to produce finished pieces.
The process of hand forging a strip of metal into a decorative piece requires focused concentration, an element of risk taking and potentially a certain amount of frustration which, through one to one sessions with a highly skilled craftsman has resulted in a fantastic sense of achievement and satisfaction in what has been
produced.
This combined with the sense of pride and ownership associated with creating part of a distinctive artwork for their area has been an invaluable experience for the young people involved, taking them away from their present situations and giving them the opportunity to grow and experience a totally different creative practice.
This was by far the young peoples favourite activity throughout the project, and they have achieved a stunning result. Many thanks to David Hyde for his amazing tuition.