Engineering heritage meets artistic excellence
Originally founded by the Dutch Slade family in 1966, Slade Engineering has long been recognised for high-quality steel fabrication. Now, with nearly six decades of expertise, Slade Engineering has joined forces with Dynamic Engineering, creating a new chapter in 2023 and launching an exciting art and design venture: Studio Slade. This studio is helmed by one of Christchurch’s last remaining blacksmiths, Stuart Sinclair, dedicated to merging industrial craftsmanship with artistic flair.
The new studio will offer an array of unique, handcrafted furniture, signage, sculpture, and fittings – from gates to busts.
“Not many people know the breadth of work we can produce. Studio Slade will bring our sculpture and design capabilities to the forefront and showcase the care and creativity in which we create,” says Slade Engineering managing director Shaun McGrath.
Stuart joined Slade in November last year, bringing his expertise and reputation from his business Ironic Art with him. He is the creative force behind the studio, and he has iconic Christchurch designs, such as the Festival of Flowers project and the Christmas trees and reindeer outside Riverside Market, to his name.
With the support of a group of engineers and their expertise, Stuart can deliver a client’s wildest dreams in metal form. Stuart says that he can take almost anything from a picture and replicate it using just steel and his tools.
“The designs I show to customers are all hand-drawn, and they accurately represent what the final product will look like. Nothing is replicated, and everything I make is unique.”
Stuart finds immense joy in transforming steel – a material often seen as cold and unyielding – into “living and beautiful” art using only a handheld plasma torch as his brush.
“I don’t get stuff laser cut. Doing it this way gives it a more organic look. It also ensures that every piece of art is one of a kind.”
With long-standing clients like Speight’s, Lone Star, and the Christchurch City Council, Stuart is hopeful that more people will recognise the value of Studio Slade’s sustainable, handcrafted quality, especially as environmental concerns grow.
“Handcrafted metal means you can rely on quality and longevity, rather than ‘fast furniture’ mass-produced elsewhere. You’re investing in something built to last.”
Stuart is equally excited by the artistic opportunities that come with being based within a steel engineer’s, with materials at his fingertips.
Born and trained in the Orkney Isles, Stuart brings thirty years of expertise to a trade that’s becoming rarer with each passing year.
“I can count on one hand the number of blacksmiths here in Canterbury.
“Back in the ’80s, I learned how to form metal using your hands rather than machinery. That’s where the art side comes into it, because it’s all about the feel and how the metal bends under pressure.
“I’ve always been creative. I’ve been so good with my hands that my teachers at school didn’t believe I did my own artwork!”
In his new role at Studio Slade, Stuart combines his love of art with engineering, and he’s looking forward to helping people realise the artistic potential of his favourite medium.
“People are amazed what I can do – they’re amazed it’s steel.”