Fourteen
Front Cover: Ruth Harries – Red Cross Series
Fourteen The artists’ response to the centenary of World War One
Becky Adams, Iwan Bala, Sarah Ball, Peter Bodenham, Anne Gibbs, David Greenslade, Ruth Harries, Rozanne Hawksley, Buddug Humphreys, Alice Kettle, John Selway, Peter Spriggs, Laura Thomas, Stephen West.
A Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Exhibition 2014
Image kindly provided courtesy of the Torfaen Museum Trust
Wales at War 1914 - 1918 The outbreak of World War One came on
with us today. The images of the trenches,
28th July 1914, within weeks all the major
the poems and first-hand accounts, the
powers were at war and the conflict soon
cards and letters sent home to loved ones,
spread around the world. Expected to last
the list of names on cenotaphs in every
a few months it dragged on for four years
town are the images which remind us of this
with more than 70 million military personnel
appalling conflict.
being mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. Technological advances and the
To mark the centenary of the onset of World
increasing industrialisation of war meant it
War One Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre
became also one of the deadliest conflicts
has invited fourteen contemporary artists
in world history with 9 million deaths. The
to create work which reflects their thoughts
upheaval of the war paved the way for major
on the centenary. The artists selected are
political changes and ultimately the map
mainly, either born in Wales or currently
of Europe was redrawn. However it is the
resident in Wales, and work in a range of
huge personal cost to the men and women
media from ceramics to textiles, paintings
affected by this war that most resonates
and mixed media.
Hedd Wyn, Iwan Bala, Mixed media, Indian Khadi Paper (2014) detail
All have interpreted the brief in their own
element of the blanket’s pattern and colour
very individual way and provided personal
represent and honour individual family
statements to sit alongside the work.
members and the many complex ways in which their relationships were impacted by
Several artists have chosen to honour and
the war.
reflect upon their forbears who either fought in the war or who were indirectly affected by
Three of the exhibiting artists have
it. Becky Adams uses delicate sewing skills
chosen to base their exhibits around the
to create textile facsimiles of her relatives’
Welsh poet Hedd Wyn (Ellis Humphrey
war medals – the very act of her making the
Evans) who was killed during the Battle of
items provided much opportunity for solace
Passchendale and, just a few weeks later,
and reflection.
was posthumously awarded the bard’s chair at the 1917 National Eisteddfod. Iwan Bala
Laura Thomas’ traditional woven blanket
combines Hedd Wyn’s poetry with maps
encapsulates the comfort, warmth and
of the battlefield to create a memorial to
envelopment of a close family while each
those killed on both sides; his inclusion of
Black chairs, David Greenslade, detail
a chair draped in black cloth recreates the
after long periods of conflict while Ruth
unique awarding of the ‘Cadair Ddu’ at the
Harries’ ‘Red Cross Series’ jointly honours
1917 Eisteddfod.
the work of the Red Cross Organisation and the essential role that women performed
Conversely Peter Spriggs focusses the
during the conflict.
youth, life and hope in Hedd Wyn’s poetry into his abstract painting while David
Sarah Ball’s ‘Damaged Human’ could be
Greenslade combines the iconography of
a combatant from any war. The apparent
the Cadair Ddu with images of individuals
physical and psychological scars act as
with connections to the war; together they
a counterpoint to the anonymity of his
are framed as postage stamps as a tribute
identity and place in time.
to the letter form. Peter Bodenham’s ‘Commemorative Cups’ John Selway’s ‘Angel of Mons’ reminds us of
represent conflict up to the modern day,
the smoke and mirrors, misinformation and
reflecting the artist’s humble gratitude to
elaboration which can arise both during and
the soldiers and civilians who gave their
The Angel of Mons, John Selway. Oil on canvas (2014), detail
lives coupled with his revulsion at the scale
‘In Whose Name’, comprising thirteen
of the slaughter. The horror of the war and
found objects crucified through their
fragility of the peace come across both in
palms, delivers a clear and powerful anti-
the imagery, shape and in the materials
war message.
used in the manufacture of the cups where damage has been deliberately introduced.
The main gallery is dominated by Alice Kettle’s six metre long ‘Homage to ‘Guernica’.
‘Overhead’ by Anne Gibbs is based on early
Designed to be hung either horizontally
aerial observation balloons, the flimsiness
or vertically the work looks at the shift of
and vulnerability of these hydrogen laden
perspective from horizontal to the vertical
amorphous behemoths mirrored by the
as with Picasso’s Guernica which contains
stark delicacy and fragility of the porcelain.
symbols that change or appear when viewed from an alternative angle. The suggestion
The frailty of the human condition, injustice
is that war is a matter of perspective
and suffering resonate from the powerful
which can be changed and shifted through
work of Rozanne Hawksley. The installation
an adjustment in attitude; if
not the
Black chairs, David Greenslade, detail
consequence is powerfully destructive.
modelled using Gaudier-Brzeska’s roughhewn, primitive style of direct carving and
Buddug Humphreys work for ‘Fourteen’
expresses both the feeling of the new
is inspired by the notion of the ‘Make do
abstraction and primitivism that emerged
and mend’ ethos that the population had
in pre-war London, the conflict between
to live by during the war. Her plates have
nature and abstraction and the threat to
inspirational quotes inscribed into the
humanity by machines.
enamel to represent the hope of many people that were left behind when family
Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre are grateful
members and friends went to war.
to all the artists for contributing work to ‘Fourteen’. We hope the exhibition will, in
Stephen West has chosen to respond to
equal part, remember the fallen of all sides,
works made by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska the
provoke opinion, challenge views, educate
iconoclastic French artist killed during
and inform while at the same time inspire
an attack on a German-occupied French
and celebrate contemporary Welsh artists
village in 1915. ‘Modernist Sculpture’ is
and makers. July 2014
War Medals, Becky Adams, Stitched textile (2014)
Becky Adams Artist Statement “I work in the realm of textiles and book art.
Some of these medals are depicted in
I combine stitched paper, vintage fabrics,
stitched textile, as a personal response
diary extracts and antique ephemera to
that considers the war from a very human
create a tangible and tactile link to past
perspective.
experience. I find much solace in hand stitching, it is a A sense of narrative pervades my work
contemplative process that brings a sense
and the subject matter itself derives from
of peace.
selected fragments, excerpts and assembled details from a particular time and place.
It also offers a quiet place to stop and reflect.
I have chosen to work with war medals that are still treasured within our family – those of my Great Grandfather on the maternal side and Great Uncle on my paternal side.
Lest we forget.�
Tiny Stitches, Becky Adams, Stitched textile (2014)
Becky Adams Biography Becky Adams is an applied artist based
Her work appears in several private and
in Penarth and has been practising art
public collections, including the Wexford
professionally for the last fifteen years. She
Artists Book Collection (Ireland), the V&A
studied Fine Art and English Literature in
and Tate Gallery.
Liverpool before a period of travel around the Middle East. She later undertook her MA in Book Arts at Camberwell College of Art. Past residencies include Ruthin Craft Centre, King’s Lynn Museum, Queenswood School and Chitraniketan, Kerala (Southern India). Becky’s work is centred on textile and book art which provides a tangible and tactile link to past experience and her love of storytelling.
Hedd Wyn, Iwan Bala, Mixed media, Indian Khadi Paper (2014)
Iwan Bala Artist Statement several
My work for this exhibition is a memorial for
documentaries and lectures on the origins
one of the millions killed on both sides, the
of World War One, I am of the opinion that
poet Ellis Humphrey Evans (Hedd Wyn) from
it was an unfortunate, tragic but inevitable
Trawsfynydd near Bala, who was killed in the
war. The Kaiser’s ambitions were not
first few early morning hours of the Third
dissimilar to Hitler’s in its world dominating
Battle of Ypres on the 31 of July 1917, aged
scope. The consequences however were
thirty. He fell near the village of Pilckem, having
dire for all involved, and the devastation of
been hit in the stomach by a ‘nosecap’ shell.
Germany led inexorably to the rise of Hitler
There were 31,000 Allied fatalities that day. A
and the Nazis, with its concomitant hatred
few weeks later, at the National Eisteddfod of
for the Jews and Liberals who were somehow
Wales held in Birkenhead, he was announced
blamed for the capitulation of Germany.
as the winner of the Bardic Chair for his awdl
In Russia, it gave rise to Stalin, an equally
‘Yr Arwr’ (The Hero), and in his absence, the
brutal totalitarian ogre.
chair was draped in black. The drawing shows
“Having
recently
watched
a map of the field of battle, and incorporates two poems that he wrote about the war. ‘
Hedd Wyn’ (‘Blessed Peace’) was his pen name for the Eisteddfod competition, and he is remembered in Wales as a symbol of that lost generation of young men. The chair here presented under a black sheet, is not a Bardic chair, but is a chair made by my grandfather. Though he was not a combattant, he was of the same generation as all those who lost their lives. His main contribution to the war effort was to find and return his cousin to the Military, when, several times, he went AWOL; an appropriate reaction to the horror of the war I would think. He survived.” Hedd Wyn, Iwan Bala, Mixed media, Indian Khadi Paper (2014) detail
Iwan Bala Biography Iwan Bala is an established artist, writer and lecturer based in Wales. He has held solo exhibitions annually since 1990, participated in many group exhibitions in Wales and abroad and is represented in public and private collections. His work was exhibited in four Chinese cities in 2009. He has published books and essays on contemporary art in Wales and is a frequent lecturer on the subject. He has often presented and been interviewed for television. Iwan Bala is cited in most published compilations on contemporary art in Wales.
Soldier (American Civil War), Sarah Ball, Oil on Panel (2014)
Sarah Ball Artist Statement “This painting is one in a series of paintings
‘A human being is a part of the whole called
exploring the notion of the ‘Damaged
by us universe.... he experiences himself, his
Human’.
thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of
Sitting for an official medical photograph,
his consciousness. This delusion is a kind
without uniform and with head shaved this
of prison for us... Our task must be to free
young man could belong to any age and
ourselves from this prison by widening our
be fighting in any conflict. His injuries both
circle of compassion....’ Albert Einstein”
visible and hidden. The photograph resides in the American National Archive. What does a portrait represent? Can a portrait ever claim to capture the identity of the sitter beyond the superficial?
Soldier (American Civil War), Sarah Ball, Oil on Panel (2014) detail
Sarah Ball Biography Sarah Ball grew up in South Yorkshire and
natural world and objects gathered from my
studied at Newport Art College. After
immediate surroundings - the sources are
working in London throughout the late
recast, creating new characters in imagined
80’s and 90s, she returned to Wales to
scenarios”.
concentrate solely on her painting and completed an MFA at Bath Spa University in 2005. She lives with her family in the Monmouthshire countryside. “My work is that of the gatherer; a curator of objects and ideas that are concerned with the visual language of the storyteller. My paintings allude to fable and allegory - sourced from museum curios, Victorian taxidermy, studio and police photography, anthologies and collections from the
Commemorative Cups, Peter Bodenham, Black clay earthenware with white slip underglaze printing decal and lustre.
Peter Bodenham Artist Statement “As a teenager in Cardigan School, every year
gratitude to the soldiers and civilians who
on Armistice Day the English teacher made
gave their lives coupled with my revulsion
all the students read aloud in turn, the book
at the scale of the slaughter. The making
‘All Quiet on The Western Front’, a 1929
process started with throwing cups on
classic novel about World War One. During
the potter’s wheel, attaching decorative
this annual ritual reading, her response was
handles and then dipping the pots in slip.
to weep and point at the boys and say “you
Several stages followed involving drawing
will be the first to go, my lovely boys”. At
into leather hard clay, printing silk screened
the time we all found this theatrical but
images onto potters tissue and transferring
very genuine performance highly amusing,
them onto the cups before the first firing.
but on reflection it had a profound effect
Photographic digital transfers and lustre
on myself, and understanding of the Great
were applied involving two subsequent
War.
firings. Some of the cups were purposefully damaged, either dropped on the floor or
The series of commemorative cups made for ‘Fourteen’ reflect both my humble
shot with an air rifle by my younger son.
The research for his project was at times upsetting as I read through current newspaper reports of families who have lost their children in more recent conflicts like Afghanistan. The images on the surface of the cups are stock photographic pictures from WW1 juxtaposed with extracts from letters and newspaper reports about more recent military campaigned and peacekeeping operations.�
Commemorative Cups, Peter Bodenham, Black clay earthenware with white slip underglaze printing decal and lustre.
Peter Bodenham Biography Peter Bodenham is a potter and visual artist who studied at Camberwell School of Art before completing an MA in Fine Art at UWIC, Cardiff. Peter’s ideas are drawn from and about the phenomenology of everyday objects and the museum artefact. Inspiration is often driven by journeys on foot through rural landscapes. Although he acknowledges the cultural distinctions between fine art, design and craft, his work often sits between these cultural traditions. Peter lives and works in West Wales Cardigan and is Head of Ceramics Department at
Coleg Sir Gar.
Overhead, Anne Gibbs, Porcelain (2014)
Anne Gibbs Artist Statement “To mark the centenary of the World War
targets. Pilots regarded bringing down
One, I have chosen to respond to old
an observational balloon as a hazardous
photographs of Observation Balloons that
occupation but a valid victory. Those with
were commonly used as aerial platforms to
a successful list of destroying the balloons
gather information and artillery spotting by
were described as ‘balloon busters’. “
the allies and Germans on the Western Front. These balloons were made from fabric, filled with hydrogen gas and attached to a winch with steel cables. An observer would sit in a wicker basket suspended underneath the balloon usually carrying a radio, flags, binoculars and a long-range camera. His job was to observe actions on the front line, spot enemy troop movements and call down artillery fire on worthwhile targets. These balloons were vulnerable and dangerous
Lost and Found , Anne Gibbs, Porcelain (2014) detail
Anne Gibbs Biography Anne Gibbs lives and works in Cardiff. She
of Wales and has been artist in residency
studied Fine Art, specialising in printmaking
at Cove Park, Scotland, The Clay Studio,
(1994) and she undertook postgraduate
Philadelphia, USA and the Afan Forest Park,
courses in teacher training, PGCE (FE)
Wales.
(1999) and a master’s degree in Ceramics (2004) at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. Anne has worked as a freelance artist in many facets of art and design, working to public commissions, teaching and lecturing in schools, universities and communities throughout South Wales. Anne has exhibited both nationally and internationally, including Greece, Canada, Korea and America. In 2009 she received a Creative Wales Award from the Arts Council
Black Chairs, David Greenslade, Ink and Paper (2014)
David Greenslade Artist Statement “1914 is stored in the collective memory
posthumously awarded the Bardic Chair
in many ways.
Letters from writers and
at the Birkenhead Eisteddfod of 1917. His
artists who were in the war is one of them.
name was announced and the Chair draped
Guillaume Appolinaire in particular allowed
in black cloth.
envelopes to actually shape the substance
figures associated with the 1914 period, also
of his writing. Letters home were central to
included are literary figures born in 1914.�
the stories of Edward Thomas, David Jones and many more. The images here, framed as postage stamps, are a tribute to the letter form. The piece is called Black Chairs. Meirionydd poet Hedd Wyn (Ellis Humphrey Evans, 1887-1917) was killed during the Battle of Passchendale, along with at least half a million others. Six weeks later he was
This panel shows fourteen
Black Chairs, David Greenslade, Ink and Paper (2014) detail
David Greenslade Biography David Greenslade is a writer who works with visual artists. Recent books include Rarely Pretty Reasonable (Dark Windows Press, 2013) with over thirty artists, and Y Gwiblu Brith (Dark Windows Press, 2014) with John Welson. He has worked closely with artists such as William Brown (Dark Fairground), Peter Hay (Creosote) and Keith Bayliss (Zeus Amoeba). He writes in Welsh and English.
Red Cross Series, Ruth Harries, Mixed Media (2014)
Ruth Harries Artist Statement “The ‘Red Cross Series’ produced for this
WW1, organizing the constant supply of
exhibition, reflects on the invaluable work
clothing for soldiers on the frontline and in
of the Red Cross Organization and the role
hospitals. Many essential knitted and sewn
of women during WW1.
items were produced at home; from socks to patient’s operation gowns. It is this work;
More than a million women joined the
the skills employed and the act of repeated
workforce during the War; changing their
process that I have considered in the ‘Red
lives and society’s view of their status
Cross Series’.
thereafter. Working in the dangerous munitions factories, driving ambulances,
These works resonate on a wider basis too,
nursing, as mechanics and in upholstering,
not only referencing the labour involved
trimming and other skilled operatives; jobs
but also the standing of soldiers, side by
previously done by men.
side; tied together, united, regimental and scarred.”
The Red Cross was instrumental in helping soldiers survive the appalling conditions in
Red Cross Series, Ruth Harries, Mixed Media (2014) detail
Ruth Harries Biography Textile and mixed media artist Ruth Harries lives and works in Cardiff, after studying Textile Print at Cardiff College. She won the overall award for Welsh Artist of the Year in 2008 and has represented Wales at the Festival Interceltique de L’Orient in France. Ruth
has
exhibited
nationally
and
internationally including France, Holland, Sweden, Netherlands the,USA and Ireland. She has shown widely in group shows, including Pfaff Art Embroidery London the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Welsh Contemporaries in London and numerous exhibitions with the Fibre Art Wales Group. She has received commissions including from
British Council and the National Trust.
Caiphus , Rozanne Hawksley, Wreath of cream silk, ribbon, small bones, pearls, shell and thread (2007)
Rozanne Hawksley Artist Statement “For some years I have attempted, through
William Blake for a traitor. Importantly the
observation and experiences, to make work
words by Alan Bennett in Act II of “Forty
covering the themes of life: love, loss, war
Years On,” his first play, continue to ring true
and suffering, isolation, injustice through
and inspired this piece. He speaks of “the
increasing misuse of power. This comes into
thoughtless progress of the new civility…
visualisation by focussing on the individual;
The hedges come down from the fields…
the frailty of the human condition often
.A butterfly is an event…man is killing all
with those small, often quiet details which
nature including himself.”
signify that individual. The work ‘In Whose Name?’ – merely I use any and all materials but select ONLY
questions the ‘Why’ for the un-reasoned,
those that are absolutely right for what I’m
pointless wars. For the self -power,
trying to say.
vengeance and the need for a scapegoat. In whose name indeed.
‘Caiphus’ – a wreath mourning the death of nature carries the name sometimes used by
The piece is made of thirteen found
gloves, one ornate and un-touched, the twelve others crucified through the palms onto rough wood. The one hung upside down indicates a whistle blower, an objector, a Judas.�
In Whose Name , Rozanne Hawksley
Rozanne Hawksley Biography Born in the naval town Portsmouth in 1931,
Goldsmiths College in the 1970s, that she
Rozanne Hawksley was a wartime evacuee
began using textiles and needlework as an
and grew up at a time when many were
art form. Widely acknowledged as having
mourning those who never returned from
played a significant role in the development
the sea. She has drawn from that and other
of interdisciplinary textile teaching, research
personal experiences in her work. Having
and scholarship, her contribution to the
trained at the Royal College of Art in the
ground-breaking 1988 exhibition, The
1950s, where she became part of a group
Subversive Stitch, is regarded as seminal.
that included Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon and
Rozanne’s work has attracted the attention
John Minton, she moved to America. Whilst
of critics and collectors alike and her work
there, Rozanne undertook commissions for
has appeared in shows across Britain and
Eleanor Roosevelt and the Kennedy family,
Europe. She has also exhibited in Japan and
and also designed for the Women’s Home
the United States.
Industries, the post-war project created by Lady Reading. But it was after her return to Britain and a postgraduate course at
Hand forged enamel plate, Buddug Wyn Humphreys
Buddug Wyn Humphreys Artist Statement “My work for the show ‘Fourteen’ is inspired by the notion of the ‘Make do and mend’ ethos that the population had to live by during the war. I’m always trying to combine or give a new life to objects that people no longer seem to want. My plates have inspirational quotes inscribed into the enamel to represent the hope of many people that were left behind when family members and friends went to war.”
Hand forged enamel plate, Buddug Wyn Humphreys, detail
Buddug Wyn Humphreys Biography Buddug likes creating things in many different
literature finds its way into her work and she
materials. She sources different materials of
makes her own interpretation of traditions
various textures that she finds intriguing
such as the ‘Welsh Love Spoon’.
and creates objects with these materials in unusual combinations. Sketching/drawing and writing form a large part of her work. She enjoys combining these so that the writing not only has a meaning within the words themselves but that it becomes an integral part of the drawing itself. At present her work specializes in using enamel on metal; by drawing and writing onto layers of the enamel the boundaries of this traditional process are expanded. She finds strong inspiration from her native Welsh language and culture. Inspiring Welsh and English
Loss, Homage to Guernica, Alice Kettle , Fabric and thread (2011)
Alice Kettle Artist Statement “Loss, Homage to Guernica” reflects on
Alice Kettle’s work is rooted in the narrative
war and on conflict. The work looks at the
of thread, the manner in which a tensile line
shift of perspective from horizontal to the
can describe relationships and connections
vertical as with Picasso’s Guernica which
with other material places. Sometimes the
contains symbols which change or appear
work is pictorial, reminiscent of the linear
when viewed from an alternative angle.
story line of the Bayeaux tapestry. At other
The suggestion is that war is a matter of
times a thread holds the work together to
perspective which can be changed and
draw and reconstruct into a patched and
shifted through an adjustment in attitude.
collaged form. Many works connect with
If not the consequence is powerfully
stories, those with universal truths, the
destructive. The simple device of alteration
repeated patterns of mythology and the
from the vertical to horizontal and vice
emotional touch of textile.
versa is used to denote life, and death, of destruction and reconstruction. The work
Alice is also producing a growing body of
is meant to change and be viewed either
collaborative work, the group of 20 jugs
horizontally or vertically.
‘Treasure in Earthen vessels’ are made with
ceramicist Alex McErlain. They are part of an on-going and shared journey of exploration and echo the terracotta army who stand or fall.
Homage to Guernica, Alice Kettle , Fabric and thread (2011) detail
Alice Kettle Biography Alice Kettle is a contemporary textile/fibre
Arti Applicate Oggi, Turin, Italy.
artist based in the UK. She has established a unique area of practice by her use of
Alice
is
Senior
Research
a craft medium, consistently and on an
Manchester
unparalleled scale.
Manchester Metropolitan University and
School
of
Art,
Fellow
at
MIRIAD,
Visiting Professor at the Centre for Real Her stitched works, many of which are the size of huge figurative tapestries, exploit the textures and effects made possible through the harnessing of a mechanical process to intuitive and creative ends. Her work is represented in various public collections such as the Crafts Council London, the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, the Museo Internationale delle
World Learning University of Winchester.
The Angel of Mons, John Selway, Oil on Canvas (2014)
John Selway Artist Statement During the First World War thousands came
his short story, ‘The Bowmen’, was the true
to believe that a miracle had happened
source of the legend.
during the British Army’s first desperate battle with the advancing Germans at Mons
In May 1915 a full-blown controversy
in Belgium. In some versions a vision of St
erupted, with the angels being used in
George and phantom bowmen halted the
sermons as proof of the action of divine
German troops, while others claimed angels
providence on the side of the Allies before
had thrown a protective curtain around the
spreading into newspaper reports published
British, saving them from disaster.
widely across the world. Machen, bemused by all this, attempted to end the rumours
The battle of Mons took place on 23
by republishing the story in book form, with
August 1914 and within a few weeks the
a long preface stating the rumours were
‘angels of Mons’ had entered the realms of
false and originated in his story. It became
legend. Gothic horror writer Arthur Machen
a bestseller, and resulted in a vast series
maintained until his dying day that the
of other publications claiming to provide
Angel of Mons was fiction, believing that
evidence of the Angels’ existence. Machen
tried to set the record straight, but by the end of the war it became unpatriotic, even treasonable, to doubt that the claims were based on fact.
The Angel of Mons, John Selway. Oil on canvas (2014), detail
John Selway Biography John Selway is one of Wales’ leading artists. He was brought up in Abertillery and attended Newport School of Art 1953-57 and Royal College of Art 1959-62. After a year painting in Portugal on a travelling scholarship he returned to live in Abertillery and teach at Newport College of Art. He became a member of 56 Group and shows extensively both at home and abroad. The Arts Council, Arts Council of Wales, National Museum of Wales in Cardiff and a number of public galleries in Wales and England hold his work, as does Johannesburg Art Gallery, South Africa.
Hedd Wyn, Peter Spriggs, Oil on canvas (2014)
Peter Spriggs Artist Statement Orseddau brenhinoedd byd,
“The piece of work is about Hedd Wyn,
Deyrnasoedd daear i gyd
the Welsh romantic and War poet who lost
Dan dynged rhyw frwydr o hyd,
his life in the Great War in the Battle of
Cewch farw neu ddechrau byw.
Pilkern Ridge, the third Battle of Ypres in 1917. Hedd Wyn won the Chair for his ode,
Di, filwr, saf ar dy draed,
“Yr Arwr. The Hero”, at the 1917 National
Bydd barod i golli;’h waed,
Eisteddfod of Wales in Birkenhead. Tragically,
Cans o’r frwydr erwinaf caed
he was wounded in action and died soon
Pob gwynfa sy heddiw’n rhydd.
afterwards, before he was informed of his achievement.
O “Wedi’r Frwydr” gan Hedd Wyn From “After the Battle” by Hedd Wyn
His prize chair has become widely known as “Cadair Ddu Birkenhead. The Black Chair of Birkenhead”. The painting tells the story of a tragic young man who went, reluctantly, in the line of duty to defend his country, lose his life and leave a poem. It will encapsulate the things Hedd Wyn stood for; youth. life, hope. I will paint the shadow of Hedd Wyn and the poetry he left - that is the shining sun.”
Hedd Wyn, Peter Spriggs, Oil on canvas (2014) detail
Peter Spriggs Biography Peter Spriggs was born in Cardiff. He was
He has shown work in all Painting - Ysbryd
awarded First Class Honours in BA Fine Art
/ Spirit Wales exhibitions throughout
at Cardiff Metropolitan University and MA
the 1990’s and 2000’s and also with 56
from the Painting School, Royal College
Group Wales. Recently he has worked in
of Art London. He is currently a Lecturer
printmaking as well as painting and is one
in Fine Art at the University of Trinity St.
of Swansea Print Workshop’s Directors. An
David, Coleg Sir Gar where he has worked
on-going project involves producing a series
extensively with mature students. He is
of print-portraits of one hundred poets and
the recipient of Arts Council of Wales
writers in Wales. On completion, this will
Awards: Travel Award - Barcelona and a
provide the visual material for a planned
Creative Wales Award - Canada. A Lecturers
publication.
International
Programme
Development
facilitated another trip to Canada as a Visiting Lecturer at Ontario College of Art and Design and the University of Waterloo, Ontario.
Gifford Blanket, Laura Thomas, Handwoven Wool (2014)
Laura Thomas Artist Statement For this exhibition, Laura celebrates her love
was born. Although Nina grew up knowing
of Welsh blankets by hand weaving a blanket
of her siblings, they were rarely mentioned
in memory of her great uncle William Roy
and she never met her sister.
Gifford who lost his life in the First World War, and also his younger sister, Ivy. Every
The blanket is a handwoven double cloth
death as result of war is tragic and heart
an iconic method of creating traditional
breaking for loved ones and Laura has always
Welsh blankets famed the world over. The
been haunted by this element of her family
decision to make a blanket was deliberate
history. Ivy was so profoundly traumatised
due to its symbolism of being indicative of
by the loss of her brother in the war, that
nurture, protection and the envelopment
she was institutionalised in her teens and
of loved ones. Its colour and pattern is
spent the rest of her life in a care home,
muted but rhythmic and has been created
dying aged 60. Their mother was advised
as a meditation on loss, absence and not
by the family doctor that the best way to
knowing. “The shapes are based on the
overcome her grief was to have another
ages lived by my grandmother, her brother
child, and thus Laura’s grandmother Nina
and sister. Roy died aged 19 in the war
and is represented by the red block. The adjoining block in khaki/brown represents Ivy who lived to 60. My grandmother Nina is the fawn block, who lived to 88. That block is separate to Roy and Ivy as she never met them.�
Gifford Blanket, Laura Thomas, Handwoven Wool (2014) detail
Laura Thomas Biography Laura Thomas is an award winning woven
technical research and freelance design
textile artist and designer specializing
consultancy. Laura is also the Joint Course
in producing striking textile artworks for
Leader for the BA Textiles: knit, weave &
contemporary spaces. Born and brought
mixed media course in Coleg Sir G창r.
up in Pembrokeshire, Laura studied woven textiles in the University of Central England, The Royal College of Art, and then on to become one of the founding Fellows of The Ann Sutton Foundation, a weave design research centre in Sussex. Since completing her Fellowship in 2003, Laura established her textile art and design studio in South Wales, and has been dividing her time between public and private art commissions, exhibition work, curation,
Modernist Sculpture, Stephen West, Limestone (2014)
Stephen West Artist Statement “The work I have made to represent
the feeling of the new abstraction and
‘Fourteen’ was carved in France this year
primitivism that emerged in pre-war London,
from a soft piece of limestone. It is one of
the conflict between nature and abstraction
a series of works which respond to works
and the threat to humanity by machines.
made by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska in 1914. This iconoclastic French artist was 23 years
It is quite small like many of Gaudier’s works in
old when he was killed during an attack
1914 and recalls both his brass door knocker
on a German-occupied village in northern
with its abstract and sexual symbolism as
France on June 5 1915. He left the London
well as his desire to make modern Venus
art scene to enlist in 1914 and in his nine
and Madonna images. He lived in Cardiff
months of trench fighting he produced small
as a 17 year old student where his interest
pieces of soft stone shaped with a penknife
in drawing from nature and his distinctive
and a Maternity carved from the butt of a
expressive line began to develop - the
stolen Mauser rifle - all lost.
National Museum in Cardiff now holds an important group of his sculptures. My work
‘Modernist Sculpture’ 2014 expresses both
uses the female form as powerful nature and
is abstracted to an almost brutal extent to represent the conflict between the mother image and technological and primitive war. The death of Henri Gaudier-Brzeska was one huge loss amongst countless huge losses to human civilization brought about by the 1914-18 war.�
Modernist Sculpture, Stephen West, Limestone (2014)
Stephen West Biography Stephen West is an experienced artist,
Cymru Artworks Wales and Head of the
lecturer, curator and writer working at
Residency Programme.
Dolpebyll Mid-Wales. Born in 1952 in Henley-on-Thames, he trained as a painter at St Martins School of Art and Royal College of Art. He has been a fine art lecturer gallery education officer, exhibition curator and public art commissioner. He has also been a regular exhibiting artist with several one-person shows and group shows such as 56 Group, National Eisteddfod, Jerwood Drawing prize, Hunting/Observer prize and Spectator/Adam prize. He was Director Creative Development for Safle, public arts organisation for Wales, from 2007 to 2008 and previously Co-Director for Cywaith
Overhead, Anne Gibbs, Porcelain (2014) detail
‘Fourteen’ A Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Exhibition. We would like to thank all the makers who have allowed us to exhibit their work in ‘Fourteen’. Translator: Heddwen Pugh-Evans Design: Hillview Design Published by Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre. Text LGAC 2014 Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre St.David’s Road Cwmbran Torfaen NP441PD T: +44(0)1633 483321 E: info@lgac.org.uk W: www.lgac.org.uk Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre is part of the Arts Council of Wales portfolio of Revenue Funded Organisations. Registered Charity no: 1006933 Company Limited by Guarantee no: 2616241 Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre is funded by the Arts Council of Wales, Torfaen County Borough Council and Monmouthshire County Council. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without written permission from the publisher.