4/28/19: Blacksmith Rachel David’s work makes me go all weak in the knees. Her shapes seem like they’re inspired by crop circles mixed with the growing patterns of morning glories. They perplex me, but I feel myself responding to them on an almost molecular level.
Rachel (it felt weird calling her David) makes hand-forged sculptures, architectural elements, and home furnishings like a total badass. She walks her neighborhood in New Orleans, and picks out anything she can use. The majority of her work is created from scrap metal.
“My sculptural work addresses social inequalities, environmental degradation and systemic prejudice, exclusion and oppression. It is inspired by my dreams, my life and body, the landscapes I pass through and the processes of metalworking I employ. The whole pattern is one I hold close and repeat as a method of living with conscientious care, keeping in mind the carbon footprint of my own practice and trying to create opportunities for people at the margins to participate.”
-Rachel David Artist Statement
Rachel was one of the founding members of the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths, a small group of female, queer, transgender, people of color, and gender non-conforming metalworkers who support equity, diversity and inclusion in the field of blacksmithing.
You can follow Rachel David on the Red Metal website and on Instagram and Facebook. You can also check out the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths on their website.
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