INSIGHTS
Mark Holsworth, Writer, Artist and Melbourne Art Critic, October 2023
David Wood in St Kilda
“From down to earth to outer space, David Wood’s sculptural metal work is fun……wandering around St Kilda I accidentally encountered some of his public art….Wood’s gate (at Veg Out Gardens) and….five gates at the St Kilda Botanic Gardens.
Then, when we went to get the tram on Acland Street, there was David Wood’s Smik Rocket, a metal retro sci-fi-style rocket crashing through the shop’s awning. Its aerodynamic body riveted together out of sheet metal. Whoever was piloting the rocket needs to have their eyes tested. What is now an optometrist shop was formerly Smik Hair.
This is fantastic fun, a sculptural reality inspiring daily fantasies. Looking at other people’s photographs online, I can see the rocket has been rebranded, and the smaller figures have been removed. Initially, there were three little blue men with polychromatic cones of hair and a purple alien couple.
For over 30 years, Wood has worked mostly in metal. He has outdoor public sculptures across the city: Spirit of Place in Elsternwick Park, Spirit of Progress in Donnybrae, Acacia, the Three Elders in Cranbourne, Merrifield Wall in Mickleham, and Ode to Spirit of Endurance in Berwick. With this spread across the metropolis, perhaps there is one near you.”
Frederick White, Sculptor
“There is no problem Woody can’t solve, he delivers work to the highest level of finish and original design.”
Kerrie Mac
“Woody has made me the most amazing dining table. It is a magnificent work of art. Thank you so much, I am privileged to have a piece of your stunning work in my home.”
Catherine Young
“Woody created an extraordinary reception desk for my reception room which is both functional and flamboyant. It is the centre piece of the area and gives the room the arty feel that I hoped to achieve. His work is often commented upon and has proven to be timeless.”
Ben Pickard
“Woody is fantastic. His attention to detail, and diligence cannot be recommended highly enough. From initial design to finished product, he is committed to creating beautiful objects and structures.”
Nelly M
“We are delighted with our gates. Not only is David "Woody" extremely talented, he is very easy to deal with and professional in his approach. We found working with him a dream and are more than pleased with the outcome.”
Hellen Roughley
“I commissioned David to create a bouquet of galvanised metal roses for my daughters grave. David and I were in consultation throughout the process, at the end David exceeded my expectations. The roses look absolutely beautiful. Thank you David for making my vision come alive.”
Peter Schipperheyn, Judge of the Gippsland Sculpture Awards, 26 March to 7 May 2023. Speaking of David’s exhibition piece, The Breakaway.
“Driving into Yinnar, I was struck by the surreal quality of the running tables and flowing white tablecloths darting and scurrying into the town centre. I loved the movement and dashing personality of the pieces."
Dr Marcus Bunyan, 2023
“I have known David Wood since 1988 when his foundry ‘Bent Metal’ was located in South Yarra before relocating to South Melbourne. During the intervening years until 2023 I have watched his artistic vision expand to great heights.
Through small and ever bigger private and public commissions, David has honed his skill as an artist, visionary creator and business operator.
He has completed major commissions such as the striking ‘Five Gates to celebrate the gardens 150th anniversary’ at the St Kilda Botanical Gardens (2012); the intriguing ‘Nardoo Rotunda’ (2014) located along Como Parade near the entrance of Grices Road Berwick inspired by Nardoo, an indigenous water plant; and the stunning ‘Acacia, the sculpture, three elders’ (2019) which references acacia pods indigenous to the area where the finished work is located. David has been a consistent finalist in both the Montalto Sculpture Prize and Lorne Sculpture Biennale as well as holding solo exhibitions of his work, such as his exhibition ’Sentinels’ at Gasworks Arts Park in 2013. He has won People’s Choice Award twice at the annual Montalto Sculpture Prize showing his work often resonates with the community.
David works very hard and completes commissions on time and on budget. Being an artist (myself) of thirty-two years, a researcher into the history of art on my archive Art Blart, a curator, writer, art critic and former academic with five degrees – Associate of the Royal College of Music, London (concert pianist); Bachelor of Arts Hons., (Fine Art Photography) (RMIT University); Master of Arts (Fine Art Photography) (RMIT University); Master of Art Curatorship (University of Melbourne); and Doctor of Philosophy (RMIT University) – I believe that I am more than qualified to comment on his design and art process and the stunning outcomes of his selfless work.
David is a Renaissance man. Drawing from his learned background of contemporary culture and the history of art, and the feeling for place, David designs pieces from his fertile imagination and then makes everything by hand in his foundry.
He forges his ideas in the tempered flame, balancing feeling against form, fire against earth, the historic against the contemporary.
His work always evinces a sense of ownership and belonging to place, whether it be a set of doors or a staircase for a private residence, or a large public artwork that references the history, memory, landscape and vibrations of energy that emerge from site specific locations.
For David, his art is his craft, and his craft is his art.
Since those early days in a small garage foundry, he has developed his skills as a blacksmith and sculptor so that they mirror his evolution as an artist. Both sides of his practice are integral to each other and to his success in life.
It is his energy as a sensitive human being that makes him unique in Australia as a hands-on forger of that intractable material, metal.
When David works with his mind, heart, and hands he makes magic happen.'“
Neil Williams, Creative Director, Montalto Sculpture Prize 2022
“David Wood’s ’The Break Away’ I found to be the perfect light hearted response to the situation we all found ourselves in through the pandemic. '
Herded like sheep down a particular path, I think we all at times wanted to break away and escape. A lovely resolved work that clearly resonated with its audience at Montalto. Congratulations David.”
World Landscape Architecture, March 2016
“One of the true delights of the Circa 1886 Reserve is the inspired work of artists Bent Metal…...whose structures bring richness to the park experience while also helping to define the park’s character – bridging historic and contemporary.
Artist/blacksmith Bent Metal’s art takes the form of ornate steel fencing, handrails, interpretive signage, seating, and the reserve’s shelter, inspired by Nardoo, an indigenous water plant.”
Melbourne Playgrounds.com.au 2016
“Set in landscaped gardens designed to look beautiful now and in the future, Circa Park also features the work of renowned artist and blacksmith Bent Metal as well as the Rain Gully, a Central Rotunda, and state-of-the-art children's play equipment.
Another highlight is the 'Nardoo Rotunda' which is inspired by classical structures within great gardens. Mirroring a cluster of trees with their canopy hovering above, this group of sentinels stand together to offer protection from the elements. Created by Melbourne artists Bent Metal, the rotunda reflects the transparency of our native landscape and is a place for private contemplation, community gatherings and celebrations. The singular motif takes the form of nardoo, a native water and food plant, and has a variety of finishes applied to mimic the natural colours and hues of the plant. Intended to be a water collector, the shelter will allow rain water to drain through its canopy and be channelled down its 'stems', flowing out through the open, pebble-lined channel to the rain gulley.”
Sentinels Exhibition 2013 Review
Gasworks Arts Park
29 May – 16 June
Dr Marcus Bunyan (See full review here)
“A solid first solo exhibition from my friend David Wood at Gasworks Arts Park.
Conceptually the show needed a little tightening but technically the work is outstanding (as you would expect from the owner of Bent Metal and one of Melbourne’s best blacksmiths) and aesthetically pleasing. I particularly liked the topographic remapping of both Port Phillip Bay and St Kilda Junction.
Anyone who knows Melbourne intimately would recognise the ramps and walkways that bisect the interior of the junction even in their abstract form, especially the tram ramp ascending from Dandenong Road to St Kilda Road. I also admired the Nardoo sentinels, which are to be made at full size for a public park in Berwick later in the year.”
Extract from The Art of Woody Blacksmith, Helen Booth © 2012
“Some of Woody’s favourite works feature in Frank Costa’s sandstone villa at Aireys Inlet. The house, designed by architect Tony Hobba, nestles on cliff tops overlooking the sea. Portico and side gates and the roof terrace balustrade wear a copper finish in a blue-green patina.
Stands flow like waves breaking in the wind and occasionally grab and clasp lumps of white quartz. A soundtrack of actual waves crashes and ebbs in the background. Rippling metal reeds form the pool fence. Inside, the balustrade is an intricate, continuous flow of seaweed reaching up each side of the three-storey staircase. Hobba says, ‘Woody has the real ability to make metal look fluid’. His brief to Woody was ‘ocean living’. Woody loved the freedom this gave him to use natural, organic forms and systems. ‘My work is not very existential. I’m inspired by simple things from everyday life that people usually take for granted. Sometimes I experiment with symmetry and dimension – maybe to surprise people so they’ll notice things or think differently about them.’ Hobba says: ‘Everything Woody did was really inspired and equally practical. His initial sketches were great, but I was amazed when he laid out a full-scale brown paper template of the design on his studio floor. He’s a really gentle sort of a bloke; he just quietly gets on with it.’ (The late) Frank Costa sums Woody and his work up in just three words: ‘creative, artistic and individual.’”
The Age, 14 February 2007
“Interior Designer Colin Bowman who oversaw the redesign and decor of the Diener Ice Works home in Prahran ….has added gravitas with some beautiful pieces from South Melbourne metal sculptors Bent Metal.
….(They) made elegant metal door handles, a dramatic wrought iron balustrade and a stunning glass teardrop and metal light fitting that hangs from the peak of the spire.”
(Full Review of the Interior Design of Diener's Ice Works home, The Age, 14 February 2007)
HIA Top Homes 2003-2004 Winner Custom Built Homes over $1M
“Great attention to detail and quality in both design and construction went into the creation of this elegant French Provincial style home.”
Port Phillip Leader May 1999
“Where else but in eccentric St Kilda could you buy some milk in a shopping centre with a giant and colourful rollercoaster sculpture suspended in the foyer?”
The Period Home Renovator Autumn 1997
“When the ancient skills of blacksmithing combine forces with a creative 20th century sensibility, the result is certainly not just any old iron.
Anything that can be made in iron can be made by Bent Metal.
The nature of the work itself….is cerebral as well as being very physically demanding.”
Vogue Magazine, February 1996
“The work Bent Metal produces has an edge – be it the discernable sense of humour, the combination of materials or unusual patination. Or perhaps it’s just the pride and obvious pleasure taken in the production of each item is etched invisibly into the finished product.”
Herald Sun, September 1995
“Once you step in the firm’s pre-industrial, revolution-style workshop you can begin to understand….their creations take not just sweat and stamina but an enormous amount of talent and skill. ”
