SPARKS are set to fly in Leamington’s Pump Room gardens this wekend.
Local visual arts organisation Pangaea Sculptors’ Centre is bringing a dramatic sculpture-making event to town – after melting down 75kgs of donated aluminium.
Meltdown: From Trash to Treasure is a free, drop-in event taking place on Saturday (November 4), from 1pm to 5pm.
Pangaea director Lucy Tomlins said: “The public are invited to watch sculpture-making in action. So often how artworks are made is shrouded in mystery, hidden in artists’ studios. Yet, it is the process of creation where the magic happens.
“So, for one day we’re setting up a foundry in the heart of Leamington. Here six incredible artists from the Midlands and beyond will be melting down recycled aluminium, collected with the local community, in a dramatic public demonstration. They will be pouring the molten metal into sand moulds and transforming it into sculpture.
And people re urged to join in the meltdown by bringing their own tin foil (clean please) to be included in the final pour.
Lucy continued: “I’ll never forget the first-time I got the opportunity to work with molten metal. This alchemical process is one of the most spectacular in sculpture and has barely changed in centuries.
“It will be amazing to witness what these six professional artists can create out of scrap metal.
“In today’s throw-away consumer culture, and in light of the climate emergency, it feels essential that we create opportunities for the public – especially our children and the next generation – to understand all that goes into creating the objects that surround us, so that they can be respected and valued.”
Pangaea Sculptors’ Centre is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes public engagement with sculpture in various ways.
