Meaning forged from material
- Conrad is a self-taught blacksmith working with iron, steel, copper and alloys
- His practice combines intuition and discipline to produce functional and sculptural works
- He has created several public pieces, including for Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
To Conrad Hicks, blacksmithing is material-led and intuitive. “I try to respond to what the material wants to say,” he explains. Conrad originally trained in sculpture at Cape Technikon, before working in art and architectural restoration, including a period at the Royal Academy in London. In the late 1990s, he bought an anvil and began forging. Later he, acquired and restored The Bijou, a former cinema where his forge is based today. Initially commission-led, producing staircases, furniture and gates, Conrad's practice has shifted towards more personal, sculptural work. His pieces are rich in symbolism, and he sees his role as an artisan as revealing meaning already present in the material. “It is an investigation into what I need to learn or what needs to be said," Conrad shares. "It is deeply revealing.”
Interview
- What may people not know about your craft?
- Blacksmithing is essentially about tool making. Every project requires a specific set of tools that the smith must first create. In this sense, the tools are the work. When a tool functions perfectly, it becomes sculptural, following an aesthetic where beauty is rooted in utility.
- Why do you enjoy working with copper?
- In mythology, copper represents Venus and iron represents Mars. While iron is structural and masculine, copper is soft, sensual and expressive. It bears the marks of anything that touches it. I can push it in different directions, almost like clay. For me, working with copper is a deeply personal, cathartic way to balance my internal creative energy.
- Why is preserving craftsmanship important?
- We have lost touch with objects we make by hand. To me beauty is a survival instinct: when an object works perfectly and fits our evolutionary path, we find it beautiful. We are instinctively drawn to well-crafted things, just as we are to shelter, food and warmth.
- What qualities make a good blacksmith?
- Blacksmithing is a physical craft, much like martial arts. It requires good balance, focused energy and a sharp eye. You must work intuitively, without overthinking. Still, you must analyse everything you do while visualising the end result and measuring with your eye.
Conrad Hicks is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1988
Where
Conrad Hicks
