Forging workshop rekindles the flame of age-old trade
With a series of workshops on advanced forging, an organisation called Iron and Fire aims to help blacksmithing enthusiasts turn their hobby into a profession
Forge ahead
A new project at the Zuiderpershuis cultural centre in Antwerp aims to teach the ins and outs of the age-old trade. Virtuoos met Vuur (Virtuoso with Fire) was started by IJzer en Vuur (Iron and Fire), an organisation that promotes forging as a social activity.
Flanders is home to several similar initiatives for complete beginners, but this is the first intended for people who would like to take their craft to the next level. The course consists of 12 modules, each two weeks long, and is supervised by two of the biggest names in European forging – Czech Pavel Tasovky and Italian Claudio Bottero.
“It”s a great honour for us to have these two masters here,” says Michel Mouton, founder of IJzer en Vuur. “They are renowned for the way they combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary methods and design.”
The forging scene, Mouton explains, is very international, so most of the students either know or have heard of Tasovky and Bottero. “They are the very top in Europe, so it’s very exciting for us to work together and learn from them.”
From hobby to career
The beginner’s courses offered by IJzer en Vuur draw very diverse crowds. “Forging is a craft that attracts people because of its sense of authenticity,” says Mouton. “You work with your hands, and with your entire body. Most people spend too much time in front of screens and are looking for another way to find fulfilment in their free time, so this is something they find appealing.”
The advanced courses are for people determined to turn their hobby into a profession. Making a decent living from blacksmithing, however, is far from easy – let alone in this day and age.
You never stop learning and improving your craft, but the process is fulfilling. Making a living out of forging is hard, but not impossible
“First of, you have to be patient,” says Mouton. “You never stop learning and improving your craft, but the process is fulfilling. Making a living out of forging is hard, but not impossible. You just have to excel at what you’re doing.”
The finished design, he says, is a product of hours of manual labour, which comes at a price. “But the process has a creative side. A blacksmith starts with raw materials and moulds them into a beautiful design. It’s a profession that transcends the boundaries of art and craft.”
The choice of Zuiderpershuis as the location for the project is no coincidence. The cultural centre was once home to a working blacksmith’s shop.
“The Zuiderpershuis was built to provide hydraulic pressure for the machinery in the old port of Antwerp,” Mouton explains. “The site needed a forge where the pressure instruments could be repaired.”
Back to life
The site was later used for a training programme by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, but it’s been dormant since. “The forge went cold,” says Mouten. “Now we’ll rekindle the fire.”
Working in a place with a rich past adds to the excitement. “You feel yourself surrounded by history and the tradition of the trade. This is the perfect to spot learn an old craft like forging. It’s also right in the middle of the city, so we can bring forging closer to the public.”
Forging does not belong in a museum – it is a living craft
Raising awareness is one of the main goals behind IJzer en Vuur, which Mouton founded in the Sint-Gillis municipality of Brussels in 2004. Mouton, who has a background in language education, founded the organisation to share his passion for forging with others and to use training as a way to preserve the craft.
“We want to revive forging because it does not belong in a museum – it is a living craft,” he says. “Forging may have stopped evolving around the time of the Art Noveau movement, but the practice never actually ceased to exist.”
In addition to workshops in forging, the organisation also hosts demonstrations, exhibitions and workshops in bronze casting and silversmithing. With one eye on the past, Mouton recognises the need to adapt the different crafts to modern times. It’s a lesson he learned from one of his mentors.
“This is the key to the survival of any craft. Without a modern reinterpretation, a craft is as good as lost. Forging lags behind, but it is still not too late to rekindle the flame.”
Photo courtesy IJzer en Vuur
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