Sparks will fly on Saturday at Durham's 4th Annual Iron Pour

This weekend, 4,000 pounds of molten iron will be poured into molds in the middle of Durham Central Park.

The 4th Annual Iron Pour will take place on Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m., and admission is free. The event is put on by Liberty Arts Studios & Foundry in conjunction with Durham Central Park, and features metalworkers from Liberty Arts creating iron tiles made by the public and sculptures made by North Carolina artists.

Alongside the pour, there will be local food trucks and breweries including Poblanos Tacos, Bulkogi, Bull City Brewery and Ponysaurus.

There will also be drumming performances from Batalá Durham, who will perform two sets between 4 and 6 p.m., and shows done by fire artists Lady Goon and Dragoonis Flame.

“It’s really primal, with the drumming and fire-breathing and molten iron,” said Erin Kauffman, executive director for Durham Central Park.

She said Liberty Arts, a nonprofit art space, has been working next to Durham Central Park for a long time, and this event was inspired by their proximity.

“They asked me a few years ago if they could do something like this and I said, ‘this sounds like a great and crazy idea, let’s do it,’” Kauffman said. 

Evie G. Watts, studio director at Liberty Arts, says the foundry works with many different metals, but unlike copper or silver, iron’s melting point of 3,000 to 4,000 degrees means it has to be poured outdoors into special casts.

“It’s like a gritty ballet, where all the dancers are wearing leathers and helmets and boots, because everyone has to know their place,” Watts said.

Kauffman also said the art is technically difficult, emphasizing the importance of coordinating safety information with the police and fire departments to make sure everyone is safe during the pour.

“We want to make it a safe event, but also a really compelling and fun event for people to watch and participate in with their scratch blocks,” Kauffman said.

These scratch blocks are six-by-six inch blocks of hardened sand that can be carved into molds by anyone who wishes to participate at scratch block workshops held at the Liberty Arts Foundry. According to a Durham Central Park press release, there are two classes remaining on the day of the event: from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

“The scratch blocks were designed so you get as many people in the community as involved as possible, because of course when you’ve spent an hour or two to scratch this design out in this mold, you’re suddenly attached and invested in the pour," Watts said. "It really brings the wider community in at a more intimate level."

Watts describes the event as “Durham-esque,” and feels the event is important to maintaining the industrial character Durham has historically been known for.

“There’s been a lot of talk of gentrification, and the whole flavor of Durham being lost," Watts said. "The gritty, creative, edgy side of it is built much around metal and steel, which I feel is something that Liberty Arts is preserving. We are helping to show how Durham can change without losing its character.”

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