Swansea and Photography

January 2010 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the pioneers of photography, John Dillwyn Llewelyn. We were talking last night at the opening of 'Facing the Future' Open Photography exhibition that it would be fitting to have the anniversary celebrated in some way in Swansea.

Photography was only available to those prominent families who had the wealth to pursue this medium, but it has now developed into an activity in which everyone can participate for a modest outlay on a simple digital or even film camera.

For a period of over 15 years in the Victorian age, Swansea could rightly claim to be in the forefront of some of the pioneering activities to progress photographic techniques and knowledge and it is something well worth a celebration 200 years later!

Forgotten Camera : Remembered Moment

Crowded summer train

Party mood despite some rain

A large group of revellers

Drink-induced animation maybe

Sprawled in standard class posing

Planning their clubbing

No, and why not ?

 

It all changed in a second

Modern communication

Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile – who knows ?

Hand-held phone to one ear,

Stella Artois in the other

‘Michael Jackson’s dead’

Hell, man - you're kidding!

Pinhole in a shoe-box

A rip in the canvas

The moment was frozen

Camera obscura

Punctum maybe

The train just went on though

And talk talk returned

 

All change at Swansea, end of the line

And sadly as it turned out : it was

Don’t leave any baggage behind

Take valuables along

Memories of a hundred parties past

And a hundred more now to come. 

Facing the Future

Image - 'Out Walking - Brecon Beacons' - December 31 2008 (c) Rhys Jones

I'm very pleased to be participating in Elysium Gallery's first Open Photographic Exhibition opening on 11 July 19:00 and running until 8 August. If you can get there, the address is 41 High Street, Swansea - well worth supporting Swansea's main independently run gallery!

Proceed to Part II

Image : Hay Festival May 2009 (c) Rhys Jones

I hope anyone who reads this will forgive a piece of self-indulgence! It's been a long time since I've received any University (or any other for that matter!) exam resuts but I had some today! I've passed Part I of my course MA Photography : Contemporary Dialogues at Swansea Met and can now concentrate on Part II which will be a major project - a piece of public art work and a 7,000 word report. Part I has been a bit of a life-changer for me and to be honest it's not the easiest thing to change completely from doing something the same way for 20 years - a lot of soul-searching and self-doubt but I think it has given me some confidence and new skills. I've been fortunate to have made some good friends with people on a similar quest..so here's to another year when I hope to make the most of an opportunity that doesn't come our way all the time. So I think I'm going to allow myself a little celebration tomorrow night in No Sign Bar in Wind Street, Swansea!

Postcards

I'm working on a new piece of work to develop the 'Postcards to Derrida' exhibit that I had on display at the Bath Festival. I've come across a website called Post Secret which contains some interesting examples where people write their secrets anonymously on a postcard. As part of my project I'm going to be asking people to send postcards with their thoughts - they just send them to me and if they are agreeable they will form part of an exhibit - all anonymous of course. I need to obtain funding for this work.

To Scotland

Images (c) Rhys Jones - May 2009

We are about to embark on some risky business trying to take an art exhibition to Scotland. We have a room and garden space in the back of a Nepalese Restaurant just opposite the Playhouse in Edinburgh and plan to exhibit during August with the main focus coming 17-21 August when we will be augmented by a number of poets and performers. We have a booking also in the Forest Cafe in the Old Town and will be staying at great expense to no-one in the Edinburgh Metro Youth Hostel.

As usual with the Edinburgh Fringe anything can happen at short notice and usaully does so we may well end up doing something else as well but we're looking forward to what we've got so far!

Road Trips

I'm sitting here at my PC completing an essay and presentation on Chinese Contemporary photography which is not easy for a person with itchy feet! Every so often I am diverted in my mind to Facebook and Twitter which of course is very pleasant because it means keeping in touch with friends but I must say I am also keen to experience total solitude. A few years ago I had an invitation to go to Finland to spend a week-end at a photography workshop near the Arctic Circle and I'm really tempted to go. I was told that the course would be held 32kms from civilisation and I was asked "Have you and your family ever experienced absolute and total silence!" The course even offered a free canoe to go out on the lake.