About 2 years after I made the film 'Casting Metal - The Last Iron Man', sculptor Theo Shields got in touch with me about his project 'Oak & Iron'. Theo had been working with and learning from Fraser Waugh from Edinburgh Cast Metals & Chris Scotland of Gogar Cabinetworks in order to create art works from the reaction of pouring molten iron into fire hollowed wood. Originally Theo had planned to film Fraser & Chris himself as little insights into the worlds he was combining but after being put onto my piece about Fraser he decided that I might be the right man for the job. 

 

I personally feel that the great thing about this video is that it was never meant to happen. Theo had asked me to capture a film about Chris Scotland (available here) and to maybe pick up a few bits and pieces of him that he could use later. But with me never not being able to film something interesting when it's put in front of me, I soon had enough material that, with a couple of additional shooting days down at Edinburgh Cast Metals, I could make a whole new film covering as much of the process of making Theo's sculptures as possible. The standout moment for me was filming the Iron being poured into the wood. I don't think I've ever seen anything as beautiful or dangerous and been so close to it. I was well aware of the dangers as Fraser had been injured during one of Theo's previous pours...but I still needed a lot of close ups.

 

 

Now for the more informative information provided courtesy of Mr Shields:

 

Oak and Iron is a study on the impact of molten iron on the form and integrity of wood by Edinburgh based artist & sculptor Theo Shields. Casts have been taken from the inner cavity of fire-hollowed logs; as hot iron is poured into a slab of oak, the metal and wood reject each other, burning and bending until fusing as one. The end product is ultimately a conversation between these two raw materials.

 

Shields uses sculpture as a tool to examine and test the limits of the material world around him. His work has been widely exhibited across the UK and internationally, including shows in Edinburgh, Melbourne, Cardiff and London. He has carried out artist residency programs in Australia, Mexico and the UK with studios in Edinburgh and Wales. Shields is currently working on a new project titled Oak and Iron.

'Theo Shields - Oak & Iron' is presented as a component of Oak and Iron (theoshields.com/oak-and-iron).

Shields sculptures, will be displayed as part of a touring exhibition across Scotland. The aim of Oak and Iron is to focus attention on the important relationship between industrial trades and contemporary art in Scotland. Project curator and sculptor Theo Shields has brought together local tradesmen, Fraser Waugh and Chris Scotland to produce a series of sculptures made from Scottish oak and recycled iron to exhibit with accompanying video documentaries produced by Douglas Caldow which trace the legacy of the key local craftsmen.

 

Follow the links to find out more about Oak and Iron, full exhibition dates, images of finished sculptures and more videos.

 

For more information about Oak and Iron and to see the other films from this project: theoshields.com/oak-and-iron
More music by Simon Herron: simonherron.com