The Bijou Forge Residency

The Forge Residency is an interdisciplinary sound-sculpture project between blacksmith Conrad Hicks and sound artist Matlali Matabane. Conceptualized during Roger Vy Wyk’s Strategy Arts Residency in October 2025, the collaboration reads as an experimental call and response practice—playing the room. Over the months of January through March, Matlali’s practice of electronic instrumentation and extended play merges with Conrad’s sculptural work in a dive into the subconscious of creativity.

The residency manifests in three shows: 20, 27, 28 March – Of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air
These three iterations present an immersive sound installation derived from the acoustic properties of the Bijou’s Forge. The installation welcomes a participatory setting, inviting the audience to co-explore the possibilities of industrial and electronic devices. A thread of conscious compositions runs throughout the residency as invocations to sculpture and vice versa.

Supporting the residency: Please feel free to donate towards the residency on check-out, help us make this exciting work happen!