Llangwm is a small village of approximately 450 properties, adjacent to the River Cleddau, which feeds into the Milford Haven estuary. There’s a lovely slipway into the river, which is known as Black Tar or Black Tar Point, which is illustrative of the days when Pembrokeshire had a large fleet of small fishing vessels that caught herring, the tar was used to keep the small boats watertight. Llangwm, or Langum, as pronounced by the non-Welsh residents, is a lovely, friendly,Read more
Posts filed in: Art
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
I was invited to photo-document a Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival at Gigi Gao’s Favourite Authentic Chinese Restaurant in Swansea Marina. The event was organised for senior citizens by the Chinese in Wales Association (CIWA) in Swansea who had been self-isolating during Covid-19 and unable to socialise with friends. CIWA organise programmes to improve ethnic Chinese residents’ wellbeing especially the most vulnerable people. The performance was was provided by a group of dedicated volunteers from the community and the delicious vegetarian mealRead more
It’s My Shout – I am One
During my first year of university, we had a lecture by Stills Photographer Giles Keyte, he was such a stimulating and energetic speaker that he inspired me to at least experience Unit Stills Photography. Since graduation in 2018 I have been banging and kicking doors, sending emails and phoning contacts for an opportunity to generate a set of Unit Stills Photographs. Finally, my hard work and tenacity came to fruition; I gained the opportunity to photograph on two BBC productions.Read more
African Textile Workshop
I was invited to attend the African Textile workshop to further my research into diaspora. The workshop, which was organised by Funmi, Uzo, Jo and Maureen was funded by the Arts Council Wales as part of Black History Wales 365 Workshop. It was hosted by Funmi, a Nigerian national, and was held in the Swansea Grand Theatre. When I arrived, there was an on-going Zoom presentation by Chuks Ukabuilu from Nigeria who was passionately describing the significance and special meaningsRead more
Garage Doors
The diversity in design and manufacture of garage doors astounds me. The design, construction and materials employed is extensive. Some garage doors are cherished and well maintained, others are neglected and forlorn. There are those that have been constructed from dubious DIY designs with inappropriate materials; have seen better days and outlived their original purpose and are now sad and dilapidated. My objective with this body of work is to provide a representation of this miscellany of garage doors inRead more
What Makes a Home?
I was invited by the Volcano Theatre Company to photo-document a fascinating project involving Coastal Housing (Swansea) tenants who were teamed-up with artists to interpret What Makes a Home? for the participants. The venue was a vast corner plot, glazed-fronted store on the corner of College Street and High Street in Swansea (figs#1 & 2). The brief for the artists was to interpret their respective participant’s idea of What Makes a Home for them, into the physical area allotted toRead more
Mayor Darkin
David Darkin took his role as Llanelli Mayor very seriously. I initially met David Darkin in August 2018 at the BBC interview of Stephen, who was one of the Men’s Sheds Cymru subjects for my ‘Sofa to Shed’ project. He had run over from his architect’s office in the middle of town to support Stephen and represent Llanelli town. I was immediately impressed with David’s commitment to his role as town Mayor and his energy to sprint to the bowlsRead more
Burry Port Beards
It is impossible to ignore the increasing popularity of beards. This phenomenon has the potential of spanning the life-time of men and they can be well-tended and cared for or left to run riot on the face. This photographic exposition captures 20 men that I have observed in Burry Port town and harbour. The men include residents, visitors and even a transient cyclist. Mae’n amhosibl anwybyddu poblogrwydd cynyddol barfau. Mae gan y ffenomen hon y potensial i rychwantu oes dynRead more
Gordon
Gordon is an octogenarian gentleman who has lived and worked in Burry Port all his life. He was born in a two-bedroomed terrace house, which he shared with his parents and grandparents. In 1939, aged five, he moved with his parents, into a three-bedroomed council house on the same street and attended the Copperworks School in Morlan Terrace in an adjacent street. Gordon impressed me as a very smart and presentable man with a very well tended garden and tidyRead more
Folk Music at The New Neptune
To continue my exploration of the theatre and entertainment world I obtained permission to photo-document a performance of folk music at the The New Neptune in Burry Port. It was a pleasure to spend an evening in the company of passionate men and women who delighted in entertaining us with an interesting and eclectic mix of music.Read more