“Experiment by Cast Iron” is an international symposium expanding on the momentum of its 2019 and 2021 editions. Between December 8 and 17, FUD UJEP will host a full program dedicated to the methods and possibilities of the material. The Studio of Natural Materials, in collaboration with educators and artists from the Czechia, Moravia, Slovakia, and the United States, will engage in processes associated with cast-iron art production — from preparing raw materials, tools, and patterns to mold making and a pour in a cupola furnace located on the campus premises.

Participants:
Jakub Cmarko, Matt Crane, Daniel Doležal, Sarah Goldberg, Jan Krtička, Chloe Loewenguth, Václav Mach, Ed Parrish, Vaughn Randall, Robert Vlasák and students from FUD UJEP Ústí nad Labem, FDU ZČU Plzeň, TUL Liberec a SŠ Oselce.

Institutional Representation:
AU FVU Banská Bystrica (SK), FDU ZČU Plzeň (CZ), FUD UJEP (CZ), SŠ Oselce (CZ), SUNY Cortland (USA).

Program:
On Tuesday, December 9, the symposium opens with a panel discussion titled “Many Hands Make Light Work, which will introduce all participating artists and explore the processes and methods associated with cast iron.

The preliminary dates for the public pour are scheduled for Sunday, December 14, or Monday, December 15, due to the complex procedures involved. Please visit the Natural Materials Studio Instagram page for program updates, relevant information, and event announcements.

About lectors and artists:

Jakub Cmarko is a Slovak sculptor who works primarily with metal, ready-made objects, or found materials, which he views as carriers of memory and physical experience. Through his installations, he explores the relationship between matter, space, and human traces. His practice often reflects specific environments and their atmosphere.

Matt Crane is an American sculptor whose work centers on metalworking, particularly cast iron, bronze, and steel. In his sculptures, he combines industrial structures and object matter with conceptual forms, analyzing the relationship between material, space, and human experience. In addition to his practice, he runs SilverCrane LLC, a workshop that produces large-scale metal installations for galleries, museums, and private collectors.

Daniel Doležal, a Czech sculptor, creates work that combines natural and industrial materials. His work is often intended and situated for landscapes or public spaces. Through his land art projects, he reflects on the relationships among humans, nature, and technology. Doležal’s conceptual approach emphasizes material as both a carrier of meaning and form. He conceives his works, allowing the material to shape the work’s overall message.

Sarah Goldberg is an American artist whose practice specializes in working with metal and natural materials. In her work, she often juxtaposes natural motifs with themes of consumerism and the hollowing of Western cultural values, as well as the aesthetics of specific subcultures that exist at the edge of society.

Jan Krticka is a Czech visual artist and educator whose work engages sound, space, and processuality. He creates spatial and sound installations that investigate time, rhythm, and the understated phenomena embedded in everyday environments. In his understanding of art, he foregrounds attentive observation of the world and the recognition of structures that typically remain unnoticed.

Chloe Loewenguth is an American multimedia sculptor focusing on installation, objects, and material experimentation. Her work studies the complexity of space, the body, and matter, and their shifting relationships. Her approach to making is grounded in personal experience and intuitive engagement with materials such as cast iron, leather, and wax.

Václav Mach is a Czech visual artist whose work integrates artistic, scientific, historical, and technical disciplines. He engages in traditional metalworking as well as experimental melting processes. Through his creative research, he elevates innovative approaches to metalwork to the level of a contemporary artistic gesture.

Ed Parrish Jr. is an American sculptor working with metal, especially cast iron. His work fuses craftsmanship with expressive modeling and an interest in form as a physical experience. He perceives art as a dialogue between the force of the material and the presence of manual control.

Vaughn Randall is a sculptor based in the United States. His practice combines mechanical and architectural forms with organic structures, symbolically exploring human emotions, social constructs, and the relationship between the individual and the collective. Randall’s objects reflect both fascination and anxiety about the uncontrollable development of technology, as well as a sense of wonder at human creativity and its limits.

Robert Vlasák, a Czech visual artist and educator, works with installations, objects, and physical phenomena. His projects often explore gravity, sound, kinetics, and the tension between nature and technology. He understands art as a space for experimentation, where human ingenuity meets and tests the laws of physics.