Alchemical Bronze Casting

Ceramic Shell Bronze Casting - The Transformative Power of Fire and the Furnace.
14th-24th May 2018

Metal Art and Jewellery Department, Faculty of Telšiai, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania.
Funded and supported by the CIRRUS Nordic-Baltic Network of Art and Design Education.

A two-week residential workshop in ceramic shell technique and uses for bronze casting, held at the Telšiai campus for the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Co-led with David Snoo Wilson, the programme was intercut by the chosen theme of alchemy, enabling the students and exchange visitors fresh perspectives on their work and the processes taking place. 

"The alchemists of old Europe attempted to gain knowledge and understanding of their world through physical experimentation with material states, their methodologies comprising a complex blend of scientific rigour, poetic notation, superstitious ritual and a form of spiritual belief that existed outside the church.

Often secretive, laborious, expensive and not without considerable risk, the work of the artist faces many of the same challenges as that of the alchemist; we hope to view alchemical pursuits as an allegorical framework for metal casting as an art form; drawing on its rich symbolism, history and legacy in the arts, sciences and philosophies of the world."

Co-hosted by Faculty Tutors Remigija Vaitkute and Marius Norkus.
Photos courtesy Remigija Vaitkute.