day three: we are ready!

Dear all,


the third day of preparations was marked with spray glue, card and a level. 

The opening is tomorrow, so we don't want to give too much away.

We really hope to see you there, and if you're still wondering how to make it to Abertillery,
have a look at our directions.

P.S. We're very excited!

introducing our visitors: Dai Howell

Dai Howell lives in South Wales and is an MA photography student at Swansea Metropolitan University.

He specialises in the technique of light painting. Using a torch and long exposures, Dai creates spellbinding images, from childhood supersititions to myths of monsters, from fantastic night landscapes to alien visitations and from starlit skies to a reworking of one of Goya's painting. In Dai's own words, light painting "appears to have magical qualities. (...) The translation of Photography from the Greek word means painting with light. Using a torch to sculpt an image with light that can only be seen on the camera I think is quite a cool translation of the word".

Recently, he's been exploring the subject of how we interact with modern technology, and how our experience of computers and the Internet affects our world.

You can find more of his work here.

As part of our exhibition, we'll be showing Dai's older and more recent work.

day 2: tiny triumphs

Dear all,

you'll all be happy to hear that our wall's skin, this morning, still sat taught and high in its place - so after a little touching up, a nip and a tuck and some cleaning, the space is finally ready...

how to find us

from Cardiff (or by car from Swansea or west Wales):

*by train: catch a train to Llanhilleth (dir. Ebbw Vale), then X15 (Stagecoach) or X1 (Phil Anslow) bus to Abertillery High Street.

When you get off, follow the street with the church to your left. We're 3 minutes from the bus stop, on the right at the far end of the street - opposite the Post Office.

*by car: take the M4 east, exit on junction 28 towards Brynmawr (A467) and follow that road through the hills and valleys until you reach Abertillery (should take about 25 after exiting the motorway).

from Newport:

*by bus: Stagecoach X15 from Newport to Brynmawr, get off on Abertillery High Street.

*by car: the A467 from Tredger House roundabout runs direct to Abertillery, or via A4042 to Cwmbran, A472 (via Pontypool) to Crumlin and then (A467) to Abertillery.

If you're coming from the top end of the Valleys (any valley), follow the heads of the Valleys to Brynmawr and then follow the signs for Abertillery. There are several free car parks in town, the closest one to us is Foundry Bridge Car Park.

For more details on bus schedules, go to Traveline Cymru website.

Coming from England head west on the M4 and exit on junction 28 and then follow A467 to Abertillery.

day 1: painting (unpainting, repainting) or: architectural archeology

Dear all,

our exhibition preparations have entered its practical phase. We began in haste with one tin of paint, soon to double and to discover white is not always brilliant white, it can be in fact quite yellow. After the first painting, palimpsests of our temporary gallery's hairgrooming past had been unearthed, and peeled from the walls along with the paint, to our surprise.

And so we began again, third tin in hand - even more brilliant white - but not before cake.

 A note to our participants - do not panic. The paint is drying.

introducing our visitors: Migle Backovaite

Migle Backovaite is a Lithuanian photographer based in London.

You can see the variety of Migle's work on her page. She uses a wide range of cameras and techniques, working with both film and digital. Migle has participated in numerous exhibitions and works professionally as a photographer, specialising in art, fashion and portraiture.

"I like creating an image of the self that is not yet known, the self that is full of mysticism and intrigue. I like exploring the darker side of the moon as well as the hidden parts of the human nature. Through photography I get to know myself."

As part of the exhibition, we'll be showing images from Migle's collection Without THEM. Through our selection, we hope to render Migle's taste for dream-like compositions, her eye for colour and an off-kilter photographic gaze.

As Migle says,

"In landscapes I find myself,- there is no need to analyse, interpret, or understand, the creation is in front of me, pure and clear, even though ever-changing but beautiful forever."

introducing our visitors: Nathan Duarte

Nathan Duarte lives in Toulouse, France.

He enjoys working with simple analogue cameras, instant film and expired film stock. In his photographic still lives, Nathan looks for aesthetics and originality, creating surreal and complex images. Using everyday objects out of their usual context and with a strong colour palette adds depth and layers to items we normally take for granted. He also explores architecture and urban spaces.

Nathan has self-published a book and is also a contributor at Global Mission of Art, an international online group for sharing and spreading artistic projects. You can find more of Nathan's images here and here.

He also kindly let us use his Holga image, Another Horizon, for the exhibition poster. Thank you so much Nathan! We will be showing a selection of prints made from Nathan's collection of images taken on instant film during the exhibition.

Nathan is a graduate of Intelligent and Interactive Systems Engineering.