Live event or show

Description

The British Artist Blacksmiths Association (BABA) was founded in Leatherhead, Mole Valley, in 1978.

Blacksmithing at the time was very much a dying craft, with alarmingly few practitioners and little public interest. The Quinnell family of Rowhurst Forge (and later Fire and Iron Gallery) had witnessed an American resurgence of interest in forged iron as a creative medium, and they believed that a similar revival could happen in Britain. With the help of other blacksmiths who responded to their vision, BABA was born, and it went from strength to strength and is still thriving today.

A major feature of BABA is its annual AGM and conference, and its exhibitions and ‘forge-ins’. Blacksmiths gather from all over the U.K., often with international guests, and the venue shifts around the country – places such as Hereford, Hastings, Sheffield, Plumpton, Cardiff and Ratho (near Edinburgh) have all hosted past events. The 25th anniversary AGM/conference took place in 2003 in Leatherhead, and many exhibitions and masterclasses have been hosted here.

Fire and Iron Gallery is thrilled to announce that BABA is returning to its birthplace and is back in town for Mole Valley Arts Alive 2024. BABA’s exhibitions are designed to challenge blacksmiths and to inspire the general public. For this exhibition, entitled ‘Inner Space’, blacksmiths have been asked to create ironwork with maximum dimensions of 1m x 400mm x 400mm, as if made to fit inside a box of that internal size. How will the nation’s shapers of hot iron respond? Will they fill the space, or only use a tiny part of it? Come and see…

Event content type

Arts & craft • Exhibition

Audience suitability

Best suited to an adult audience

Venue & location

Fire and Iron Gallery, Leatherhead, Rowhurst Forge, KT220EN

Event Dates and Times

Wednesday 9th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday 10th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Friday 11th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday 12th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Wednesday 16th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday 17th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Friday 18th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday 19th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Wednesday 23rd October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday 24th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Friday 25th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday 26th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Wednesday 30th October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday 31st October - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Registration/Booking information

Free to attend - No booking required

Accessibility

The exhibition will be sited on one level within a ground floor space accessed by a short ramp. Unless an artwork is deemed unsafe to touch, touching is encouraged, making the exhibition accessible to people with vision impairment or low vision. Parking is free and adjacent to the venue. Service dogs are welcome.

Event organiser

Name: Lucy Quinnell
Email: info@fireandiron.co.uk