Vail’s Heavy Metal Weekend
Artists from across the country will convene in Vail this weekend to cast iron and bronze at a public outdoor event. The Town of Vail Art in Public Places (AIPP) and the Vail Symposium are sponsoring the “Heavy Metal Weekend” from 5 to 9 p.m. Jan. 24-25 at the International Bridge, bringing the 5,000-year-old industrial process out of the foundry and onto the streets of Vail.
According to AIPP Coordinator Leslie Fordham the performances take place after dark to take advantage of the spectacular visual impact of the process. Artists will dress in fire-safe clothing and load bronze or scrap iron into metal-melting furnaces called cupolas. Temperatures within the cupolas will reach up to 3,000 degrees. Once molten, the fluid is poured into molds created by visiting and local artists. “The effect, combined with the flames and liquid metal will make the event fun to watch for all ages,” says Fordham.
The idea for Vail’s iron casting performances came from artist Mark Guilbeau of SPH ARTFunctions who sees the creative processes as being entertaining and educational. In addition to conducting the casting performances, Guilbeau will lead a workshop where participants can decorate their own 5-inch bowls by scratching designs into prepared sand molds. The workshops, co-sponsored by the Vail Symposium take place from 10 a.m to noon, Sat. Jan. 24 at Donovan Pavilion. The bowls will be cast in bronze at a free performance that same evening and returned a few days later. Last years bell casting event was enormously popular with participants.
Heavy Metal Weekend is one of two free public art events taking place in Vail this month. Visitors to the metal casting performances will also be treated to a great view of Triumph Winterfest Illuminated Ice Sculptures. Fordham recommends viewing the giant ice sculpture from the pedestrian bridge located next to the International Bridge. Triumph Winterfest is located on Gore Creek Promenade and can be viewed by day or night.
To register for the bowl-making workshop, contact the Vail Symposium at 479-0954 or click here. The workshop is $25 for adults and $10 for children under 18. Registration will be allowed on event day, space permitting.
In addition to entertaining and educating the public on the casting process, Guilbeau considers the event a unique opportunity for artists to learn from each other.
AIPP was established by the Town of Vail in 1992 to promote and encourage the development of the visual arts.
AIPP invites locals and guests alike to explore the town’s diverse public art collection which includes murals, vibrant water features, unique fences, animated play structures and statues. For more information, visit www.artinvail.com.
In between powder runs and tee shots, long-time Vail local Miles Burton, habitually observes local government.
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