Overview

Forged Rhythms is an immersive sound and video installation inspired by the heritage blacksmithing forge at Tocal Homestead, Paterson NSW, premiering at Peek into the Past on Sunday 26 July 2026.

The work brings together filmmaker Jonathan Burrows, sound artist Huw Jones and sculptor and blacksmith Will Maguire, with the poetry and stories of twin brothers Dave and Bob Skelton. Dave ran the forge at Tocal Homestead for thirty years, and his brother Bob is renowned for his poetry and readings. Their words and stories form the heart of the work.

Housed in the intimate heritage space of the Milk Room at Tocal Homestead, the installation invites audiences into a darkened room where moving image and sound bring the old and the new together. Jonathan Burrows’ moving image captures the working forge in action, while Huw Jones’ original soundscape incorporates the sounds of the historic forge and the forged bells created during community blacksmithing workshops led by Will Maguire.

An Artist Talk and Q&A with the Forged Rhythms team will take place on the day. Entry to Forged Rhythms is included with an entry pass into Peek into the Past.
Forged Rhythms emerges from a simple but profound observation – that the sounds, sights and smells of a blacksmith’s forge connect with us in ways that bypass explanation. In an age of the digital and the disposable, the forge endures.

Forged Rhythms is a project by Suzannah Jones, supported by the Australian Government through the Regional Arts Fund.