Blacksmith

Ivan Soucy

My Story...
My name is Ivan Soucy and I am an artist born in 1996 from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for two years (2015-2017) focusing on experimental video and sound design before eventually switching schools and my medium to Metalsmithing at Wayne State (2019-2023). Outside of my academic and artistic pursuits, I work at a thrift store as a vintage and antique specialist selling and restoring antiques.
I recently finished my BFA at Wayne State with a concentration in Metalsmithing and a minor in Blacksmithing. I have a variety of skills coming out of the metals program, most notably jewelry making, lost wax casting, hollowware/vessel raising, and blacksmithing. Metalsmithing requires a familiarity with the physical properties of many distinct types of metal, techniques, and processes for shaping and manipulating the material into the desired form, and considerable safety precautions to ensure proper handling of potentially dangerous machines and tools. Out of the many kinds of processes and techniques I have learned over the past four years, I have taken a special liking to form folding, chasing/repoussé, and bladesmithing.
Some of my biggest inspirations as a metals artist are historical rather than contemporary; I am absolutely fascinated by the level of craftsmanship seen in centuries prior, especially when the lack of power tools is considered. I am particularly interested in historical arms and armor, partly because I study blade making and because I have been practicing medieval armored martial arts for the past six years.
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I am drawn to the field of metalsmithing due to the physicality it requires, I enjoy creative problem solving, being on my feet, and working with my hands. When I was primarily a video and sound artist, I struggled with the sedentary lifestyle and thus sought a better suited medium. In my previous work, I was interested in themes such as trance-like states of consciousness, meditation, dreams, and illusions and now I find that my years of experience in time-based mediums have influenced my object making in significant ways, both formally and conceptually.