Before Christmas we were contacted by a filmmaker called Dylan Mears. He’s currently doing his A-levels, but wanted to share a little film he’d made. I watched it and thought it would make the perfect inspiration for you to get outside and get active after Christmas indulgences!
The film is mostly set in Roath Park. Here’s what Dylan says about it:
“I’m from Cardiff, and since the age of three I’ve loved going to Roath Park Lake, hence why the majority of the film was shot there. I made the film after a very testing time of GCSEs, and my main objective with the project was to motivate people and offer the message that you take out what you put in this life.”
“I’m currently studying AS Economics, English, and Psychology at Fitzalan. Inspiration comes from everywhere and anywhere but mainly the natural beauties such as the dawn and dusk, and just the varying propensities in everyday people.”
Well good luck Dylan – and all of you budding filmmakers, writers, artists, airplane pilots, army cadets, teachers, opera singers – whatever it is you want to do, get out there and do it!
For my part (in case you think these are empty words), my life resolutions are to finish the g*& d%$&* novel I’ve been flapping about with the past two years and to blog more on my personal blog. And stop eating so much shite and exercise more. And call my parents more.
We’re welcoming in the new year with something easy on the brain, with our Instagram #2016bestnine.
If you’re a keen Instagrammer, you may already be following the We Are Cardiff Instagram account. We’ve just posted our #2016topnine over there, but for those of you who can’t be bothered with all that nonsense, we’re replicating it here. Below we feature the work of six very talented local photographers, so please click through to have a proper look at all their accounts and show them some love!
We use the We Are Cardiff Instagram to feature and promote some of the best and most unusual photography of the city, as seen through the lenses of YOU! And here are our top posts of 2016.
Cardiff-based Baby Queens are enjoying something of a slow burning, organic raise to public consciousness. Though they’ve been around for a while – they were first featured here on We Are Cardiff in 2014 (Baby Queens Our Cardiff Geography) – they’re now signed to SFA man Cian Ciaran’s Strangetown Records, and this year have been part of the BBC Horizons project, spearheaded by new music champion Bethan Elfyn.
The opening track of their eponymous debut is entitled: ‘Tired of Love’. The title of the track is one that we’ve seen many times in music; before our ears have even been properly aquainted with the record there’s a worry that may just be another nondescript British pop album. However, as soon as the music starts, these worries are allayed; in fact, the first track’s seems like it is deceptively there to catch the listener off guard. The track is layered with an infectious electronic drum loop, the lyrics are consciously lovesick and the production shifts between styles effortlessly; it is a signifier that the album packs no punches both lyrically and sonically. The track is evidence that the self-titled nature of the album isn’t simply out of convenience, it is a declaration of the group’s identity, both philosophically and sonically. With the group getting props from Marinia Diamandis on Twitter to write-ups on The Guardian, they’re certainly on their way to something big and show that Cardiff’s tightly-knit music community is still doing great things.
The synthesis of synthetic and organic sounds is one of the biggest positives about the album. It is difficult to properly balance these polarising sounds, but Baby Queens have balanced it competently; in fact, they haven’t just found the right balance, they’ve synthesised both sounds creatively. The soft electronic percussion of ‘Hear Me’, for example, pops with the inclusion of the relatively archaic shaker and classic guitar lines. There is an acute awareness throughout the record that the weaving together of opposing sounds leads to a much more pleasing collage of sound. The symbiosis of these two sounds ensures the album’s production stays organic and sonically interesting throughout. It’s difficult not to think of Cardiff when you hear the combination of electronics and natural sound; the electronic production winds around a subtle natural foundation much like the city itself. Cardiff is a city that juxtaposes harshly against a fertile natural landscape; the city is a symbiosis of nature and modernity much like the music it produces. The unique material culture of the city – one that is still grounded in nature despite its metropolitan allure – has been threaded into sonic palette of the record; Cardiff has left an impression on this group, perhaps even unconsciously. The group aren’t afraid to dip their toes into different styles, either, which ensures the album stays stylistically varied.
The album jumps around a few different styles with aplomb. There is a direct trip-hop and pop influence embedded in the album, but it is still stylistically varied. For example, ‘By The River’ veers into a gospel song on points with a strong Americana influence, whereas ‘Forever’ opens with a reggae guitar line and never really threatens to leave the genre for the remainder of the track. There’s always a nice surprises in each track, – like the Aphex Twin-esque drum loop at the end of ‘Forever’ – that keep the listener’s earbuds on the tip of excitement, too. The group’s ability to wind through several complicated genres speaks volumes for their chemistry. Despite foraying into several genres, their harmonies still stay solid and their identity never becomes compromised. The best thing about the album, really, is how the group are so unrelentingly themselves. Leroy’s drumming, too, deserves special mention – it is expertly measured and matured throughout.
Lyrically, too, the album displays the group’s deceiving depth. Initially, I thought the album was entirely made up of romantic love songs – not that there’s anything wrong with that – but on further listens I found that the album, in a few tracks, deals with much more relevant and complicated issues. The hook in ‘Forever’ can deceive the listener into believing it is a simple love song, but the overall lyrical content points to something more political. For example, the lyric ‘your skin is light, my skin is dark, that does not change the shape of our hearts’ is a plea for egalitarianism in a time of rampant secularism or straight-up racism. Baby Queens seem ready to shake off their ‘girl group’ stereotype by producing lyrical content that is relevant and political. In a time of Brexit, alt-right and all that other nonsense, it’s good to have a group pushing for people to view each other on more human terms. The vibe of the whole track, too, is suited to the times. It is as utopianistic as it is sombre, in a way. The lyrics contrast sharply with the sombreness embedded in the vocals. Essentially, the track’s contrasts and tonal hypocrisy mirrors contemporary life; the track realises it is a time where relentless positivity is needed, but where the facts of modern life distils this down into sombre well-wishing.
Overall, Baby Queens was a real surprise packed to the brim with personality and risky production choices. It is out now on Strangetown Records– go check it out, you won’t be disappointed (and if you are then I’m prepared for some comment section shadowboxing).
Baby Queens is out now on Strangetown Records. Find out more:
For those of you wanting to support local businesses during the Chrimbo period, we sent Benjamin Newman out into the cold to research all the best Christmas Fairs! Local shopping, local makers, mulled wines … celebrate the festive season!
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It’s a bit cold, isn’t it? The nights are drawing in, school children are waddling around in about 72 layers of clothing, the air is colder than Theresa May’s soul, and Christmas decorations have gone up far too early – yep, it’s Winter, and that means one thing: IT’S CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAS.
Ah…nothing like Christmas to distract you for long enough to (almost) nullify the sense of impending existential doom, is there?
Here’s a few markets and fun things you can get on with in Cardiff this festive season (if you haven’t frozen to death on your commute to work yet, that is). There’s lots on offer again in this wonderful city from vegan markets to Etsy-inspired stalls, so get stuck in!
Thursday 10 November – 23 December: Cardiff Christmas Market
The Cardiff Christmas Market has returned to brighten up Woking Street for a month and a half again (and increase the number of people walking down the street tenfold, sadly). However, it is still as varied and exciting as ever. The Market will ultimately become the main destination for original gifts in the city centre (do check out other areas of Cardiff for your shopping, mind). There’s a diverse range of high quality products with over 180 individual businesses taking part this year such as pewter work, heritage images of Wales and Welsh slate products, metalwork, photography, hand built and thrown pottery, silver and precious stone jewellery, original textiles, traditional wooden items and toys, original art works and cards for all occasions, handmade candles, specialist knotting, up-cycled china wear and re-cycled textiles, glasswork, and needlework together with many original decorative items for the house and garden. It’s got a lovely Crimbo vibe to it, too.
Friday 25 November, 5:30-9PM: Penarth’s Handmade Market Christmas Special
Penarth’s Handmade Market returns on Friday 25 November 2016 for a special Christmas themed shopping evening featuring 40 of Wales’ most exciting makers and food producers.
Grab your friends after work and join us for a shop and a drink. We will have loads of fantastic gift ideas, decorations, cards and food for the coming festive season.
Avoid Black Friday madness and support local business. You know it makes sense!
Winner of ‘Best Vintage Fair’ at the last 3 national awards, Lou Lou’s returns to Cardiff’s City Hall with a fab vintage fair.
Find 40 stalls of vintage fashion, homeware and collectables nestled in this stunning location. Relax in a gorgeous tea room, watch a live performance and even get pampered in the vintage beauty salon!
TEA PARTY
The lovely ladies from LILS PARLOUR will be putting on a great spread of cakes and bakes fresh from their kitsch kitchen. Teas and cakes are served up on vintage china in the cute pop up tearoom. Don’t miss the delicious lemon drizzle!
HAIR AND BEAUTY SALON
For the perfect victory rolls, glamorous pin curls or sky-scraping beehives, make an appointment in our hair and beauty salon provided by POP UP PARLOUR. Appointments can be made in advance via email: popupparlour@hotmail.com
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
The lovely ladies from GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES will be entertaining us with their close harmony singing!
Get into the festive spirit with a Christmas food and drink festival on the first weekend of December. Chapter’s beer garden will be enveloped in a cosy marquee, serving festive beers, German sausages and other delicious nibbles. The perfect place to catch up with friends, exchange gifts and toast the season before December gets too busy!
Ewch i hwyl yr ŵyl gyda’n gŵyl o fwyd a diod Nadoligaidd ar benwythnos cyntaf mis Rhagfyr. Bydd ein gardd gwrw yn cael ei gorchuddio â phabell fawr glyd, a bydd yn gweini cwrw Nadoligaidd, selsig Almaenaidd a danteithion blasus eraill. Y lle perffaith i weld ffrindiau, i gyfnewid anrhegion ac i yfed llwnc destun tymhorol cyn i fis Rhagfyr fynd yn rhy brysur o’r hanner!
Seasons hosting their first Christmas market that will give customers a chance to shop from different stalls on the night from different businesses.
There will be a charity raffle, along with mulled wine, mulled cider, mince pies, singing & much more (it seems like it’s going to get pretty lit, to be honest).
Tickets are ONLY £5 per adult & £2 per child with a Christmas drink and snack included in the ticket price! Please do attend as proceeds from the event will be going to Welsh Women’s Aid.
Saturday 3 December, 4PM-6:30PM: Rhiwbina Christmas Festival 2016
RVE are rolling up their sleeves and have begun planning Festival 2016. Expect various stalls, food, fun and (hopefully) not rain (it’s become a bit of a tradition at the festival, it seems).
ANYONE WANTING TO APPLY TO HAVE A STALL at the Christmas festival should email eleanor.sanders@cardiff.gov.uk, although it may be a little late now.
Sunday 4 December, 11AM-5PM: Ab Fab Winter Wonderland Vegan Christmas Festival
A vegan food festival containing lots of excellent stalls including the renowned ‘Cheese and Chocolate’ and ‘Cardiff Vegan Pizza Co’. Make this Christmas special for the animals & for ourselves – Come down to Depot in Cardiff for a day filled with wonderful cruelty-free food, health & beauty products, gifts and animal rescue charities!
£1 admission for adults and FREE for children.
Cannot recommend this festival and the lovely organiser Sue Thomas enough – please be sure to check this place out.
Sunday 4 December, 11AM-7PM: Cardiff and Valleys Etsy Made Local 2016
If you’ve ever gone on Etsy, you know it’s a labyrinth of amazing clothes, crafts and jewellery. However, the Etsy Made Local market is bringing all these fun things directly to you via a market stall! A fun-filled day of shopping, workshops and performances. For one day only Cardiff and Valleys Etsy Sellers are taking over Tramshed, lots of wonderful local sellers will be there, as well as a host of workshops and performances throughout the day. Watch this space and check out our website for more details www.cavetsy.co.uk
An exclusive workshop at the CAVETSY Christmas extravaganza at the Tramshed. Join Green City to kick start a crafty Christmas! They’ll show you how to create beautiful, festive gifts and decorations from things that you might usually throw away. From upcycled Christmas tree decorations & garlands to wrapping paper, jewellery and lots more, you’ll take home plenty of crafty ideas & makes.
All materials provided, but you may need to bring along a few bits from home if you have them.
This workshop will take place in the upstairs bar at the Tramshed during the Cardiff and Valleys Etsy Made Local 2016. Why not make a day of it and enjoy browsing 50 stalls of local makers as well as live music, performances and workshops?
This workshop is suitable for ages 12+. Children aged 16 or under must be accompanied by an adult.
A cosy, alternative Cardiff Christmas shopping/eating/drinking experience with a chilled atmosphere and a diverse range of ethical local brands. There will be nature based products, veggie food, vegan food and treats, Christmas gifts that are good for the planet, handmade crafts, mulled wines, vegan friendly skincare for men and women, yoga pop up, vegan shop, live background music, a bar and more.
Saturday 10 December – Sunday 11 December – Snapped Up Market – A Dickensian Christmas
The Print Haus is one of our all time favourite places, so we can’t wait for their Christmas market! Snapped Up Market returns this December bigger and better than ever!! This time round they’ll be open for not one but TWO DAYS!!! That’s right folks, all the fun and merriment but spread over an entire weekend!
They’ll have all your favourites that you can expect from their markets, with ‘Print your own’ workshops/ open studios/ stalls from some rather fabulous artists, makers and craft people and of course resident pizza kings Dusty Knuckle will take care of your taste bud needs.
The best place to grab some amazing unique Christmas gifts and enjoy in some festive fun!
Chapter and Green City are doing it again and showcasing the best local Welsh produce!
Stock up on Christmas treats, stocking fillers, gorgeous chocs, tasty cheese, delicious meats and something special from the Caffi Bar.
For one day only!
Discover our Green Grotto, hosted by Green City. Join us for:
– Christmas craft workshops
– upcycled Christmas crafts
– and lots of family friendly fun!
… aaaaaaand that’s a wrap. Be sure to check out as many of these as you can, it’s always a great help to the city to help local businesses and – for all of our sakes – avoid the madness that is Black Friday and get to supporting your city’s local businesses!
Oh, and Merry Christmas. 2016 has been a weird one, right?
Get your Christmas cabaret on! A collective of international circus and cabaret artists famous for their thrilling, immersive performances is coming to the DEPOT warehouse at the end of this month.
On the 29 / 30 November and 1 December, guests are invited to dress in their craziest Christmas clobber and head to the DEPOT for an evening of wintery cabaret, circus tricks and ‘dodgy Santa comedy’ – courtesy of Mary Bijou Cabaret and Social Club’s ‘Fairy Tale Christmas’!
Having previously performed sell out shows at the Wales Millennium Centre, Edinburgh festival and around the country, The Mary Bijou Cabaret & Social Club are critically acclaimed for their immersive and intimate performances which are driven by playfulness and good fun.
Tickets for the Mary Bijou Fairy Tale Christmas are priced at £15 and available from depot.eventcube.io/events. Fancy dress is warmly encouraged!
For more info see DEPOT’s social media pages, or search @themarybijou
Fluidity Freerun Academy and Splatch care coming together to explode the idea of cabaret, with fierce challenges, audience games and contemporary circus. The event is being run to raise money for the wonderful organisation Performers Without Borders, which teaches performing arts to vulnerable children in countries of high child poverty.
Here’s Esther from Splatch to tell us more…
We’re celebrating the nostalgic Gladiator TV show using the newly opened freerun academy as a platform to create a high adrenaline night with circus spills and thrills, extreme athletic challenges and classic games. Bring your comfy shoes ready to move around and dance your tootsies off after. It runs 8pm until late with a DJ and drinks.
And it’s all in aid of a charity that’s close to our hearts …..
Two Nofit State performers, Sam Goodburn and Esther Fuge will be sharing, teaching and creating the life changing experience and skills of circus with vulnerable and poverty stricken children in Nicaragua. They will be joining a team of 8 performers for a three month tour around schools and community groups to build confidence, develop empowerment and overcome social barriers.
We sent intrepid explorer Benjamin Newman off to Canton to get to the heart of the arts oasis of the Printhaus.
Just off Llandaff Road in Canton, in a pretty non-descript part of Cardiff, lies a green splash of colour. It’s hidden away from the aged, red-brick of Canton, and it’s known as the Printhaus.
In many ways, the “just out of sight” nature of the Printhaus extends to the Cardiff art scene as a whole; the entire scene is buried a little under the surface, it just requires a little effort to find it. In fact, it’s located a “stone’s throw” away from the Cardiff art epicentre of Chapter, so it’s geographically pretty linked up with other Cardiff art spaces. As you walk into the entrance and see Cardiff artist Phil Morgan’s art painted on the walls you know this a place where local art is the goal and passion.
The Printhaus is essentially an arts collective offering a variety of services mostly focused on screen printing, but they also assist in general arts services. More than anything, they are there to bridge the alarmingly wide gap between art education and art industry; it is places like the Printhaus that facilitate people’s interest in art or help streamline their ideas further. They offer their impressive line of equipment for hire, including:
Textile carousal
Flatbed printer
Etching Press
Fabric Table
Table top clamps
Exposure Unit
Mac G4 + Mac Duo Intel Computers
A variety of screen printing courses are on offer, too, for really decent prices. To see the the Printhaus as simply a service centre for art would be short-sighted. What I discovered from spending some time there and conversing with the managing team of Jude, Tom and Nigel was that, at its foundation, the Printhaus is a space where art is cultivated and celebrated. During our 30-minute conversation we talked a lot about the fact that art requires some form of nurturing in urban spaces: we touched on topics like government funding, digital media, the impact of the art scene on Cardiff and the importance of tangible art in a world where art is becoming more and more digitised.
Whilst I originally intended to interview Jude, Tom and Nigel, it quickly turned into a fluid conversation. In a way, this showed how welcoming the trio were to anyone interested in art, really. They instantly made the Printhaus into a warm and friendly place, miles away from the stereotype that art spaces were elitist or unfriendly.
My original question was about whether the Printhaus received enough support from Cardiff, whether enough was being done to promote Cardiff’s art scene. Funding was mentioned pretty quickly. Funding, then, seemed to be an issue for the Printhaus, but that’s not to say the local council are disinterested in the Cardiff art scene. Despite only having one visit from the council, the Printhaus are part of the Family Arts Network, funded alongside funded organisations like Chapter, Theatr Iolo, National Museum of Wales etc.
The funding of £2500 was granted as a research development project to improve the Family Arts Network in Cardiff. However, the council, from what I gathered from the conversation, seem very focused on economics and are trying to model Cardiff after Swansea’s art structure – but the homogenisation of Welsh art is something that should be avoided. Trying to simply model Cardiff’s art scene after Swansea’s is disrespectful to the unique cultural fabric of each city. The council, though, are definitely on the right track in wanting to create a solid network between art centres in Cardiff. In a post-Brexit Britain, where isolationism and individualism are verging on pandemic, the need to network with the public, other centres and the city itself is more important than ever. The Printhaus are definitely trying to keep this alive, whether it be through educational classes or printing an infinite number of tote bags to impress Cardiff freshers.
The council sees art as a stepping stone into supporting the growth of small business, but urban art centres offer so much more than just business stimulation; they offer education, too. The Printhaus have worked with numerous youth groups, but Jude, Tom and Nigel seemed really passionate about their work with youth offenders. They provide screen printing activities and workshops for youth offenders and the results, from my perspective, are staggering. Screen printing is an excellent method to get into art as you create something tangible with high-quality – it gives artistic confidence. It’s not just an enjoyable activity for youth offenders, but it gives them a sense of achievement. The screen print is a tangible reminder that they can create something; reminders such as this is sometimes all it takes to set someone on the right path again. By creating something tangible and engaging their minds creatively, youth offenders can avoid falling into repetition; art can be a confidence-builder and sometimes confidence is all our most vulnerable need. Education is quickly moving into digitised art and media, but things like screen printing can remind students of the benefits of tangible, more traditional art forms. The sessions with youth and youth offenders is symptomatic of Printhaus’s role in the local community – it is not a place to simply make art, but a place that inspires your individuality and confidence.
Jude, too, mentioned that being in the Printhaus helped her finish her MA, in multi-disciplinary printmaking over in Bower Ashton (University West of England). Despite Tom and Nigel having little to no expertise in her degree discipline, they were able to help her at difficult points during her degree by providing a creative outlet and creating a space where she could freely bounce ideas off of them; the Printhaus, for her, was a place where she could refine other artistic pursuits. By being in an environment of varying disciplines, it allowed her to form a sort of artistic support network and this support, essentially, shows that art networks are still important in cities – they provide invaluable assistance for an artist of any discipline.
As I left the Printhaus I was impressed by how humble this little oasis in Canton was. It’s places like this who quietly keep the beating heart of Cardiff and Welsh culture alive. Check out The Printhaus’ website and pop down if you ever have the chance. You’ll get a taste of the real Cardiff, away from the rugby and alcoholic hedonism.
Dusty Knuckle Pizza have recently relocated to the Printhaus – so stop in there for a slice! There are also frequent open studios and their Snapped Up arts market are held there throughout the year, giving makers a chance to sell direct to the public. Printhaus even recently held its first wedding!
Benjamin Newman is an English Literature graduate situated in the Valleys. Passionate about art, music, literature, perfect cups of tea and pretending he’s a journalist.
Cardiff Contemporary, the Welsh capital’s biennial festival of international contemporary arts starts THIS WEEK! From Thursday 20 October – Saturday 19 November 2016.
The 2016 theme of communication, and title, Are You Ready? references Marconi’s breakthrough radio signal, made from Flat Holm Island to Lavernock Point in 1897.
Ten new artist’s commissions include the activation of a permanent sculpture on Cardiff’s waterfront and the re-appropriation of two derelict city landmarks, where artists will communicate ideas globally and through space and time.
Thirty-one days of artistic challenge and discovery opens across the Welsh capital on Thursday 20 October 2016 as Cardiff Contemporary gets underway for its fourth edition. Drawing together international and Wales-based artists to charge the city streets, galleries, forgotten spaces and communities with the crackle of new and exciting ideas in multi-disciplinary visual, sonic and performance arts. The theme of ‘communication’ looms large, as artists and audiences are urged to look beyond earth, through time and to each other for clues, answers and inspiration.
Taking in historic sites from the city centre to Cardiff Bay, Cardiff Contemporary will find its focus in a temporary hub, ‘The Angel’ developed to include four new gallery spaces across a derelict, former motorcycle garage beneath the city’s Angel Hotel. From here brand new commissions will radiate across Cardiff, including impressive new public sculpture along one of Cardiff’s most public landmarks, a takeover of the imposing-yet-defunct Customs and Immigration Building at Cardiff Bay for an exhilarating, public reclamation and an un-missable light sculpture in the heart of the city centre.
Artists and groups confirmed include: Megan Broadmeadow, Laura Ford, Roman Štětina with curator Louise Hobson, Robert Montgomery, Heather and Ivan Morison, Anthony Shapland, Rob Smith and Charles Danby, tactileBOSCH, Spit & Sawdust with Edwin Burdis and a collaboration between Locus Collective (Richard James, Angharad Van Rjiswijk), comedian and writer, Stewart Lee and Andy Fung. Cardiff Contemporary is a Cardiff Council initiative, developed by Visual Arts Manager, Ruth Cayford.
The themes and overarching title for the festival, ‘Are You Ready?’ is a direct reference to the residency of Guglielmo Marconi in the city. As an exile from Italy where his pioneering vision was met with scepticism, he was supported by the British Post Office to develop his experiments into radio communications technology. Assisted by local engineer, George Kemp, Marconi succeeded in transmitting those three, immortal words in Morse code from Flat Holm Island in the Bristol Channel to Lavernock Point, Glamorgan on 13 May 1897. Just four years later, the pair succeeded in the first transatlantic radio transmission. Artists have been asked to consider this history and the modern age of instant and relentless communication in developing new work.
Creating a period of city-wide, creative celebration, Cardiff Contemporary coincides with Artes Mundi 7 art prize and exhibition (opening Friday 21 October at National Museum Cardiff and Chapter) and the city-wide Sŵn Music Festival (Friday 21 – Sunday 23 October, various venues).
Commissions, exhibitions and events announced as part of Cardiff Contemporary 2016 to date are as follows:
Megan Broadmeadow: Let The Stars Be Set Upon the Board
Reportedly discovered in 1901, the same year as Marconi’s transatlantic radio transmission, the Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient, bronze instrument of multiple, moving parts described as the earliest analogue computer. Bristol-based artist, Megan Broadmeadow will use this seismic archaeological discovery as the basis for a new sculptural work, simultaneously reflecting on the mechanism’s resting place at the bottom of the Mediterranean and the ancient Egyptian and Greek civilisations that it is related to.
Laura Ford: Keepers of The Wall
Laura Ford’s sculptures, combining tenderness, fantasy with frequent signs of menace to relay political or social comment, will bring something suddenly and mysteriously new to a Cardiff city centre landmark. This project will remain purposely under wraps, exercising the art of surprise.
Roman Štětina: Shave and a haircut – two bits
Czech artist Roman Štětina investigates the processes of creating film, television and radio; making visible the props, technologies and studios of ‘backstage’. At Cardiff Contemporary, Štětina presents a new site-specific installation curated by Louise Hobson. Exploring the narrative of call and response, images within images stretch back in time and space, reflecting in a present that has no more thickness than a mirror.
Robert Montgomery: Cardiff Poem 2016
Beautifully capturing the convergence of prose and visual art, Robert Montgomery’s work in neon, fire, billboards, painting and print has written deeply-affecting statements large across public spaces from Trafalgar Square, London to Tempelhof Field, Berlin. Montgomery will make his latest statement in central Cardiff, illuminating resident’s and visitor’s journeys with an intervention from on high that invites a moment of reflection.
Heather and Ivan Morison: Love Me or Leave Me Alone (LMOLMA)
Combining to deliver work that transcends the divisions between art, architecture and theatre, the duo of Heather and Ivan Morison will activate Cardiff’s waterfront with their first, permanent public building. Located at Cardiff Bay, the meticulously sculpted structure, inspired by stave churches of Norway – a country inextricably linked by historic trade to Cardiff – and ad hoc beach shacks of 1960s West Coast America will appear as a functional food and drink outlet. Love Me or Leave Me Alone will play host to a programme of special events curated by Chapter on Saturday evenings during the festival.
Anthony Shapland: The Hand That Makes The Sound
Signwriting is an art form that is dying out and one of the most common forms of communication spanning the birth of trade and commercialism as we know it. Cardiff-based artist, Anthony Shapland is exploring the art and one of the city’s oldest surviving practitioners of the trade, whose own, physical canon of works has been gradually eroded by the advancement of regeneration, knocking down the workshops and traditional retailers that once proudly bore the fruits of his labour.
Charles Danby and Rob Smith: Limelight
A project that arrives in Cardiff courtesy of PEAK – Contemporary Art in the Black Mountains – and the Canal & River Trust, Charles Danby and Rob Smith return to the rural heartlands above the city, encountering the canals, quarries, tramways, caves and kilns that fed the heavy industries that roared in South Wales. For Limelight, the artists will use digital means to bring reflections on this history to contemporary audiences by streaming a series of live illuminations to a city centre location and online. The material for their work will be limelight itself, an intense white light generated through heating quicklime used in the 19th century for land survey work and stage lighting. Each broadcast will last as long as it takes for the chemical reaction to be exhausted.
tactileBOSCH: Garden of Earthly Delights
Borrowing directly from a masterpiece by the artist collective’s namesake, Hieronymus Bosch, the Garden of Earthly Delights promises a vibrant, prodigious and inclusive multi-media exhibition in the old Customs and Immigration Building, a vast disused building in the historic area of Cardiff Bay, later reconfiguring their work to be presented again in Stadium Plaza in the city centre. Their invigoration of a long-abandoned landmark will be a ‘gesamtkunstwerk’, gathering collaborators together to include site-specific installation, video, painting, photography, sonic art, interdisciplinary collaborations and spontaneous interventions, starting with a wild launch night of live music, cabaret, spoken word and visceral performance art.
Locus Collective (Richard James and Angharad Van Rjiswijk) featuring Stewart Lee and Andy Fung: The Hill of Dreams
An audio-visual, immersive installation based on the psychogeography of childhood and the wider themes explored in Arthur Machen’s book, The Hill of Dreams, Richard and Angharad will travel to locations of their childhood in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and the southern Netherlands to record the landscapes that defined their childhoods. The pair’s collaborative suite of footage, field recordings and archive material will be embellished by comedian and writer, Stewart Lee, recording an original, narrative piece for the audio installation and artist, Andy Fung who will paint an accompanying canvas that reflects on his Trinidadian upbringing.
Spit & Sawdust featuring Edwin Burdis
Occasionally a misunderstood and maligned fixture in city spaces, skateboarders and skate culture are set on a collaborative collision course with artists in a project that draws parallels between the two protagonists. As both visibly inhabit and frequently alter the city spaces that they use, the artist-led collaboration will look to the ‘internal’ language of skating, experimentation in using public space, the conventions by which skateboarders communicate and celebrate new skills and ideas and popular forms of documenting performances, primarily video, as part of this new work. The outcome is intended to be a timely discussion about how we exist in close proximity with others who may have different ideas or agendas.
Full information on each commission, dates, times and locations, plus further events including screenings, talks and workshops, will be published on Cardiff Contemporary’s website: www.cardiffcontemporary.co.uk
Connect with Cardiff Contemporary on social media:
Creative Cardiff is marking its first year of connecting and celebrating the creative community throughout the city. Hooray!
Earlier this year, we worked with Creative Cardiff and I Loves The Diff to put together a Guide to Creative Cardiff (which you should definitely go and check out, it is D O P E).
The membership network connects people working in any creative organisation, business or job across Cardiff and the city region and by encouraging people to work together, aspires to make Cardiff a capital of creativity. There’s a great selection of job opportunities for the creative sectors on there.
Over the last 12 months, hundreds of creatives have joined the network and worked with Creative Cardiff to produce a programme of #52Things – features which enthuse, inspire, inform and engage. Resulting events and activities have enabled members to connect, discover new ideas, build their audience and promote their work as well as find new opportunities.
Chair of Digital Economy at Cardiff University, Professor Ian Hargreaves said: “In its first year, Creative Cardiff has validated all four of our initial goals.
“We set out to increase quality and momentum between creative economy people in the Cardiff city region. The proof of that is in our growth in membership and on social media, but also in countless personal stories of individuals and organisations who tell us how they have found their way round Cardiff’s creative economy by chancing upon Creative Cardiff, online or in some other way.
“We’ve also continued to build out our research network, collaborating with partners like SŵnFestival.
“In our third objective, we set out to explore the case for investment in a creative hub in Cardiff and what we’ve found is that whilst we have been asking for feedback and conducting pilots, a small wave of hubs has simply emerged. Now we are concentrating on helping them to connect.
“Our fourth objective is to find a way of helping Cardiff to articulate a compelling vision for its creative ambition. Any one of the tens of thousands of people who gathered for the City of the Unexpected Roald Dahl Festival will have sensed the scale of ambition and energy that’s out there. We hope to have new ideas to announce shortly about further steps towards this objective.”
It’s (nearly!) here – our annual city-wide music takeover, celebrating the best in new music: it’s Sŵn Festival time again, and this time, Sŵn is ten years old, and they want to hear all your memories from over the years!
The memories will be displayed in the Music Museum. The museum will be open across the weekend and Sŵn have invited music aficionados to bring in three objects or musical memories in advance that mean something to them; these will be on show when the museum opens on Thursday.
Festival goers are still encouraged to share their memories can do so either by social media, or coming into the museum over the weekend to be recorded and added to the digital exhibition. Get involved and share your memories of Sŵn now!
The Museum is being built through the crowdsourcing of materials and the organisers are inviting music aficionados to bring along three objects in advance to be displayed during the Sŵn weekend. Virtual contributions can be made via social media or objects and stories can be taken to the museum and recorded on the spot. Students from the CU Archaeology and Conservation department will be on hand to offer advice on how to care for musical memorabilia. All the images and stories will be collected and displayed in the Sŵn Music Museum virtual gallery.
In other Sŵn news: S4C will also be filming an access-all-areas documentary of Sŵn this weekend, to air in December. It will feature interviews with artists, festival goers and organisers Huw Stephens and John Rostron. So make sure you’re wearing your lipstick and guyliner for when the cameras are rolling!
For those who haven’t seen it yet, here’s the line up, in eye-blistering full detail (open the image in a new tab and zoom in for Full Effect).
See you on the dance floor – front left by the speakers, yeah?
Oh, this is very exciting! With needles, thread and grand ambitions at their disposal, cross-stitchers of Cardiff have been plotting a super secret street art project that they plan to unleash at this year’s Made In Roath arts festival……
Whether you are cross stitch crazy, mad about the arts or just looking for something different at the Made In Roath week, look no further! All kinds of cross stitch lovers from the local community have been working hard behind-the-scenes to bring a new and exciting project to the streets called Crossing Paths.
The Crossing Paths team have been meeting regularly in secret, in order to create a series of giant cross stitch street art that will appear overnight just in time for Made In Roath Festival.
“We had no idea that so many people wanted to create street art and it seems we have found a really accessible and unique medium – giant cross stitch! Plus, I think the secretive, guerrilla style group was a factor!”
Every piece has been made by a member of the community using different recycled materials such as t-shirts, tights, naturally dyed sheets and even old bicycle wheels. The aim of the project is to bring colour and art to the streets of Roath and Adamsdown using the resources within the community. It aims to create awareness of the beautiful community gardens in the area that can sadly be overlooked at times.
People from all different backgrounds and parts of Cardiff have joined forces and contributed their own personal pieces of art. Ten year-old Osian Allsopp explains why he wanted to get involved:
“I wanted to learn a new way of sewing and I had good fun experimenting. I can’t wait to tell people; I’ve been very good at keeping this a secret!”.
On Saturday 8th October, everyone involved in the project will come together to cross-stitch ‘bomb’ the Plasnewydd and Adamsdown community gardens and surrounding streets. There will be an array of designs that all relate to what you may find in a garden; plants, wildlife, garden tools and maybe even a Pokémon or two!
The guerilla stitchers tell us more:
How did the Crossing Paths project idea originally begin?
“After a trip to Valencia where the streets were just bursting with colourful art I thought it would be fun to brighten up our own streets back home. A couple of weeks and a sneaky Facebook group later we had gathered a group of keen cross stitchers to make our dreams a reality!” – Becca Clark, Green City Events.
What do you hope to achieve from this project?
“We hope that people stumble across our unique pieces of street art during Made in Roath and maybe see a part of their everyday surroundings in a new light. For those keen to see them all, you’ll find a map on the Green City Events website, you can follow the path of plants and wildlife and in turn discover three beautiful community gardens. We hope this is just the start of a new community project and that others are inspired to create random acts of art!”
What do the crossing paths team think of the giant cross stitch street art?
“The perception of cross-stitch needs to taken out of the parlour and onto the streets; nothing like a bit of subversiveness to challenge the every-day!” – Dorcas Frazer
“As a prolific stitcher, I was thrilled to be part of Crossing Paths. Not only was it a great opportunity to meet other Cardiff Creative types it was so much fun stitching up giant cross stitches” – Charlotte,Twin Made
Why will Crossing Paths be a great addition to the Made In Roath week?
“The made in roath festival is all about bringing art out into the community, be that in schools, on street corners, in community gardens, and anywhere else we can find. CDF Cross Stitchers & Green City Events have done just that, with the unexpected element of stumbling upon their work whilst we wander the streets we think we know so well. We can’t wait to discover what’s on our doorstep!”
MORE INFO – CROSSING PATHS STREET ART PROJECT
Dates:
On display from Sunday 9th October – Sunday 16th October
Locations:
Mackintosh Community Gardens – 38 Keppoch St, Cardiff CF24 3JW
Plasnewydd Community Gardens – 5 Shelley Walk, Cardiff CF24 3DX
Adamsdown Community Gardens – Moria Terrace, Adamsdown, CF24 0EJ
And the surrounding streets.
CROSS-STITCH ‘BOMB’
Date: Saturday 8th October 6.30pm
Location: Secret meeting place – please contact Becca at Green City events to get involved.
Every day, we all enjoy arts and culture in many ways, and sometimes without even realising. Here’s your chance to play a part in a major survey, which will take a snapshot of what activities people love to do across South East Wales, over any given 24 hour period. You’ll be asked what cultural activities you took part in during one 24-hour period, from noon on Friday, 21 October to noon on Saturday, October 22.
Did you read a new or favourite book? Watch a great film? Attend a dance class? Make something with art materials? Play video games or write poetry? Sing in a band or listen to the radio? …maybe all of the above, or something completely different!
The short questionnaire will go live at www.24hourculture.wales and is set to celebrate events, venues, organised activities and clubs that respondents might have attended. The survey is also interested in hearing about interests that people undertake, sometimes without even consciously identifying them as cultural, which might include reading a book or watching a film, hearing music, singing or writing poetry.
The initiative is commissioned by What Next? Cardiff and What Next? Valleys, a collective of key arts organisations and individuals in Wales, which has members ranging from large national bodies to independent practitioners.
Laura Drane, Co-founder of What Next? Cardiff said:
“This is a chance for everyone right across ten local authorities to share what they enjoy doing. We know how important arts and culture can be, and so, we are looking to highlight the what, where and why from individuals, to shine the spotlight on the impact and value that activities have on people’s lives. We are looking to capture story-rich responses, as well numerical data to paint a picture.”
Over twenty partners are behind the event, which stretch across a whole range of organisations involved in the arts, from city councils, broadcasters and venues to community organisations, festivals and freelancers.
The ambition is for thousands of people aged 16+ who live in, or engage in arts and cultural activity based in the survey area to take a few moments of their time during and just after the 24 hour period to complete the survey at www.24hourculture.wales, where responses are anonymous.
Organisers Good Thing Creative are also putting a call out for 24 volunteers to have their 24 hours of arts and culture choices profiled in a little more detail for an online gallery. The website has more details of how to sign up. There is also still time for professionals and organisations to get involved with the promotion of the event via their networks, or by contributing resources including funding.
For updates, follow @24HrCulture on Twitter and see Facebook.com/24HourCulture. The official website also features a whole selection of events and activities for inspiration, taking place across South East Wales, which reaches areas including Merthyr and Monmouth to Bridgend and Blaenau Gwent.
24 Hour Culture: Read, Watch, Dance, Make, Play, Sing – What do you do?
We Are Cardiff 