Consent has been granted
pART of Pontypridd is the graduate art trail made in May 2019 by the USW Creative and Therapeutic Arts course in collaboration with the businesses and community of Pontypridd.
The installation "Experiential Forest of Objects" was exhibited in an alleyway of the town within a two month process.
The audio is an access resource that I made by recording the sounds of the space.
This was made to provide the same experience of the artwork to whoever might be sight impaired.
The sounds include: pigeons, steps, shutters, wind, chats to donors, shouting for donations, tiles & materials collected broken.
Collecting
I wanted to physically integrate the community of Pontypridd into my art, so I asked them to donate objects to contribute for the final piece.
Every Tuesday morning for two months I stood in Pontypridd high street asking for object donations and getting to know the people living and working there.
I documented the people that donated to the cause by drawing a portrait of them everyday.
Exploring
From cd's to sawing machines, birdcages to lamps, I started exploring their potential in the studio.
I began tranforming them into bright coloured, nature looking elements to contrast the dark space of the alleyway and provide a safer space for the public.
I wanted to tackle the gloomy space by incorporating lights into the objects to brighten up the space.
Curating
Hanging the whole piece was the most challenging part as we had to take into account all the health and safety measures.
The electricity was borrowered from Pontypridd market, and the essential help was provided by the handymen of the University of South Wales.
Exhibiting
Vases transformed into lamps, CD's and cans transformed into vines, books transformed into birds, papier'machè pigeons with forks, clouds made out of latex gloves, a sawing machine made into a wood pecker, and clothes hangers as frames for the portraits of the donors.
The mosaic was made by breaking vases into small pieces and adding coins and mirror pieces to it. It symbolizes a dragon and a daffodil as a tribute to Wales and was later donated to Pontypridd Museum.
