From our correspondent in...
Mid-Wales
Rebecca Spooner,
our mid-Wales
correspondent, tells
us the treasures that
can be found as long
as you’re prepared to
travel
I’m an artist based in Crickhowell, South
Powys, working in film and photography
installation. I’m originally from a village
in Monmouthshire but studied and worked
in the arts in Cardiff for ten years,
relocating to Crickhowell in 2011 to take
up the post of Arts Development Manager
at Arts Alive Wales.
Living rurally has fuelled the themes of
my work. I love the sense of connection
with the seasons, with the animals and the
social calendar of the countryside – I’m
often to be found at the county shows
and point-to-point races.
Powys, which covers the majority of mid-Wales,
is the largest county in the country and makes
up a quarter of the country’s landmass. North
to south travel is difficult, as anyone who has
driven back from a private view at Oriel Davies,
Newtown, on a wet winter’s eve will tell you.
Given this environment, access to basic services
(schools, healthcare, public transport) can be
tricky, let alone access to contemporary culture.
Despite this, there is great potential for presenting more
contemporary art in mid-Wales, which is home to
an impressive range of predominantly mid-career artists,
such as Penny Hallas, Stefhan Caddick and Antonia Spowers
in the south and Amy Sterly, Stephen West and
Shani Rhys James in the north. The incredible landscape of
mid-Wales is partly managed by organisations like the
Canal & River Trust and the National Trust, who are
switched on to the idea that the arts can develop
new visitors for their sites. Powys also attracts large
audiences for events including the Green Man Festival,
Hay Festival and Machynlleth Comedy Festival. These
elements are beginning to shape opportunities to bring
artists, sites and audiences together.
Profiled
I was attracted to the area when I
attended an excellent seminar, Reclaiming
The Rural, in 2008. It was organised by
artists Morag Colquhoun and Tessa Waite,
based at the Penpont estate in Brecon,
which examined contemporary art practice
in rural environments.
It feels like there’s room for everything
here – that artists can move in whatever
direction they choose. I’ve experienced
mind-altering sound installations in
mountain caves, as well as the Monday
morning life drawing class in Clyro Village
Hall, where you’ll see some of the best
drawing anywhere from an amazing group of
established artists.
Tea and biscuits in Penny Hallas’s studio, Llangattock,
near Crickhowell. Credit: Rebecca Spooner
I’m currently working on PEAK, a project to
develop more platforms for contemporary
art in the Black Mountains, inspired by the
artists living and working here and by a
need to support the artistic diversity and
ambition of the region.
See Rebecca’s profile on Axisweb >
NOTES FROM WALES | AUTUMN 2014 11