Why did you choose HCA for your degree?
I chose HCA for its in-depth focus on Blacksmithing as a process. I wanted to find a course that enabled me to work with forged metal and gain the skills to be both an artist and designer – this course combined both perfectly.
What do you love most about your course?
Working with ferrous material and learning about material culture is great. I love working with metal and forging as a process and using heat as a tool.
What piece of work are you most proud of so far?
I’m really proud of my final project from my first year which was an exploration and confrontation of my fear of failure, about pleasure and pain, holding on and letting go. The piece was a reinterpretation of the famous myth of Icarus. I forged a pair of steel wings and created a sight specific performance piece – wearing the wings in the moment of falling. It was a powerful piece, in which I faced my of fear of failure head on. I believe there’s great growth potential through being ambitious, failing and learning from it.
As an outcome of this project I was approached by Textile Design student, John Sanders, to forge the pin used on the hats for NMiTE’s inaugural service. The feather design inspired the design for the pins for the hats and the gowns. We worked collaboratively to design and create the pin.
What advice would you offer students joining HCA?
You have to have a real passion and love for forging and understanding materal and processes. It’s hard work and can take a long time before its rewarding, but you have to have an inner motivation to persist. Be really motivated from the start and understand that it will take time, but it’s really rewarding.
What are your plans for the future?
I see a lot of opportunities leaving here. I want to create, make and learn – learning in itself is rewarding. I’d love to work in maker spaces with other designers and be continually inspired by what i’m doing. In the future, I would also like to continue into further education.