As the piles of flaming coke begin to die down after a busy few days in the West Dean forge we sat down for a conversation with blacksmith tutor and stalwart of West Dean, Andrew Smith. In this brief conversation we discuss the relevance of this ancient technique and what fuels his very evident passion for this medium.

Could you introduce yourself and what you teach here at West Dean?

My name is Andrew Smith, and I have taught short courses in blacksmithing, forge work, sculpture, welding and general metal fabrication at West Dean College since 1987.

What drew you to blacksmithing, what do you love about it?

I think it's the opportunity to make things, but it's also the opportunity to do things which, as David Pye calls it, involve the workmanship of risk. It's you and the material and you can make a mess of it virtually at any moment, but the opportunities to do something unique are just out of this world. It's this material and you get it hot and you can twist it, shape it, bend it back on itself, and it's just malleable and beautiful.

What influences the work that you do?

I think I’m interested in the question of what contemporary ornament looks like. We're surrounded by superb examples of 17th century, ironwork in Hampton Court, the front of Buckingham Palace, but the question is, what is the contemporary equivalent? What language do we share in a public realm that we might apply to gates, railings, all sorts of things? Although I use traditional well-established techniques, I will also add modern techniques to them, but I always search for a new language which suits the place for a particular commission. A new iteration of this wonderful technique.

Where does this ancient practice stand in a digital age? Why is it still relevant?

Why is it relevant? I think it's still relevant because I believe in a world of increasing conformity, the expression of creativity is symbolic of the individual. That uniqueness, that singular vision has to be important because we're all individuals, we’re not all the same. Doesn't everybody want to be unique, on their own, free? When you forge, despite the discipline the medium requires, there is something which is emancipating about it. It brings you a great sense of freedom and a great sense of achievement, and it's still with me still with me to this day.

What are people’s misconceptions of blacksmithing?

I think that even the word blacksmith has associations of horseshoes, and being traditional, however, the work that's come out of this short course has been so unique and very modern. I also think people believe you have to be strong and that then informs an idea about the type of person you have to be. People often leave a course surprised by what they have been able to make, it can be a real eye opener. I think that’s true of a lot of West Dean courses, this is a place for anyone who wants to try their hand at a technique and wants to explore some sort of aesthetic journey. Whether that’s painting a landscape, or making a pot, or making something out of iron or glass, anything! I feel incredibly fortunate to have ended up down here doing this in this in this place.

What do you think makes West Dean special?

There's something about West Dean which is cathartic and transformative – both in small ways and dramatic ways. Years ago I had a gas engineer attend a course of mine alongside pottery, watercolour and stone carving courses that were also happening on site. He was a very methodical type of person and hadn’t typically been engaged in creative work. By the end of the week he was a different person and the next time I saw him his he'd left his gas company and he was pure joy, he was being creative and he had changed. Now I'm not suggesting that every time somebody comes to West Dean that sort of thing happens, but West Dean really can be transformative. I always think of the books of a Swiss author Hermann Hess which are about experience and self-transformation and if the arts isn't about that, what is it about? It’s not just about the painting, the choices, the colour or even the mental process. It is this important, cathartic thing, I can't quite put it into words.

What does the future of blacksmithing look like from where you stand?

I hope that the future of blacksmithing continues to be relevant. I hope that people continue to conserve and restore the great ironwork of the past, but I also hope that people continue to chip away at this great question. Which for me is the ultimate question: what is the language of form which constitutes a decorative art for our shared urban spaces? In the 17th century and 18th centuries architecture was covered in decorative details, there was a language of form which was about decoration. Eras were identifiable but with the advent of modernism and the way that society has changed, it has all dissipated and people are not quite sure what these languages are now. So, for me that continuing quest of relevance through the detail and form will continue. Otherwise, it's a dead craft and you only have past references. The modern form can and should sit alongside the old.

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