Tagged with: arts and culture
Posts (359)
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The Indian Doctor's Sanjeev Bhaskar on Jamie and Louise
Laura Chamberlain
Fans of the 成人论坛 daytime drama The Indian Doctor will be pleased to see the programme returning for a second series on Monday. Ahead of the start of the new series Sanjeev Bhaskar, who returns as Dr Prem Sharma, will be talking to Jamie and Louise on 成人论坛 Radio Wales on Monday morning about the Welsh-filmed drama. Sanjeev Bhaskar in The Indian Doctor. Photo: Rondo Media/成人论坛 The first series, which was first broadcast in November 2010, proved popular with viewers, with a record number of people contributing comments on Sanjeev's blog post for the 成人论坛 TV blog. The new series of The Indian Doctor continues the story of Dr Prem Sharma, the high-flying Delhi graduate who has come to Britain in the early 1960s as one of the first wave of Indian doctors invited by the health minister, Enoch Powell. This time around Prem has to deal with three different complications; a new adversary in the form of evangelist preacher Herbert Todd (Mark Heap), an outbreak of smallpox that threatens to bring catastrophe to the village, plus the arrival of his dreaded mother-in-law Pushpa. Sanjeev Bhaskar as Dr Prem Sharma, Ayesha Dharker as Kamini Sharma and Indira Joshi as Pushpa. Photo: Rondo Media/成人论坛 Actress Ayesha Dharker returns as Dr Sharma's wife Kamini, and Welsh actors starring in the drama include Mali Harries, Alun ap Brinley, Ifan Huw Dafydd and Naomi Everson. Tune in to the Jamie and Louise show on 成人论坛 Radio Wales on Monday 27 February from 9am to hear what Sanjeev has to say about the new series. Watch The Indian Doctor on 成人论坛 One Wales on Monday at 2.15pm, or on the 成人论坛 iPlayer soon after transmission for the subsequent seven days. Visit the 成人论坛 programme page for The Indian Doctor to find out more about the series.
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Fashion designer Julien Macdonald opens Merthyr's Puddlers Bridge
Laura Chamberlain
Fashion designer Julien Macdonald returned to his home town yesterday to open a new bridge, calling Merthyr Tydfil a "beautiful part of Wales". In a change from unveiling glamorous catwalk creations and working in the upper echelons of celebrity society, Macdonald opened the new bridge at the ceremony in Pentrebach. The bridge forms part of the Trevithick Trail, a walking and cycling route named after inventor and mining engineer Richard Trevithick who was influential in the area in the early 1800s. It has been named Puddlers Bridge after local resident Alan Lewis won a Sustrans competition to name the structure. A steel sculpture of Macdonald now stands alongside one of Trevithick and one of fellow designer Laura Ashley next to a bench on the route. Macdonald said: "It's a really special feeling to have the people from the area I grew up in recognise me in this way, and I hope the portrait bench becomes a well-used and familiar part of the landscape. "Merthyr is a beautiful part of Wales and a route like this one will inspire more people to get out on foot or bike and discover just how beautiful it is." Macdonald was joined by pupils of Afon Taf school, Sustrans Cymru and Cllr Jeff Edwards, Leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council for the opening. The designer has not presented a collection at this week's London Fashion Week. As Wales Online revealed last month, Macdonald has given the event a miss to concentrate on his career in America, creating made-to-measure outfits for some of the biggest Hollywood stars.
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This week's Radio Wales Arts Show
Laura Chamberlain
This week's Radio Wales Arts Show presents a mix of film and theatre as presenter Nicola Heywood Thomas hears from directors and actors alike. Actress Minnie Driver and Welsh director Marc Evans talk about their new film Hunky Dory, which is set for release on 2 March. Minnie Driver and ...
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For Once at the Sherman Cymru
Polly March
The Sherman Theatre in Cardiff's long-awaited relaunch season continues apace this week with the opening of a new play by an acclaimed young Welsh playwright. Sid (Jonathan Smith) and Gordon (Patrick Driver) in For Once. Photo: Robert Day For Once is a dark comedy by Tim Price, one of the founder members of the Dirty Protest theatre company. Set in a small picture postcard market town on the Welsh borders, it focuses on the emotional upheaval after a car crash in a country lane kills three local teenage friends. For Once is a family drama which revolves around three interweaving monologues by the young survivor of the crash, Sid, who was blinded in one eye during the accident, and his parents April and Gordon. And in this idyllic setting everything is not quite as it seems. The horror of what has happened exposes cracks and divisions in the family unit which pre-existed this tragedy. But the tensions also provide the opportunity for plenty of comedy in an exploration of the terse relationship between any adolescent and his parents. The kitchen sink drama also offers an insight into why teenagers, and adults, living in such places might be inspired to seek their thrills elsewhere. For Once premi猫red in Hampstead last summer and scooped four star reviews from Time Out, The Evening Standard and the Financial Times. It is directed by Orla O'Loughlin, the newly appointed artistic director of Traverse Theatre Edinburgh. The premise for the play evolved out of one of the Ludlow-based Pentabus Theatre's writers' weeks as a 10-minute exercise, but was inspired by time Price spent in a similar market town and the young people he met there. Image taken from For Once. Photo: Robert Day Orla O'Loughlin said: "During these weeks we invite writers to come and explore a local issue with us. "These have found us, among other things, out in the wilds following a fox hunt, witnessing life in an abattoir and working shifts in a Michelin-starred kitchen." For Once will be performed at Sherman Cymru from Thursday 23 February to Saturday 3 March at 8pm before embarking on a short tour which will include the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven on 20-21 March. The cast features Jonathan Smith as Sid, Geraldine Alexander as his mother April and Patrick Driver as his father Gordon. All three starred in the original run in London. Jonathan Smith as Sid in For Once. Photo: Robert Day Price's work will soon return to his native Wales when his other play, The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning is produced by National Theatre Wales in April. Tickets for For Once at the Sherman Cymru are 拢14 and under 25s can receive up to 50% off their tickets. For further information and tickets, please contact Sherman Cymru's Ticket Office on 029 2064 6900 or visit shermancymru.co.uk. There will be post-show talk on 28 February.
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Welsh film-makers in bid for funding
Polly March
Leading lights in the Welsh film industry are headed to the Berlin International Film Festival this week hoping to secure international funding for a clutch of new feature films. According to the Film Agency for Wales, producers Elizabeth Morgan-Hemlock, Caradog James, John Giwa-Amu and Vaugha...
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Si芒n Phillips on the Radio Wales Arts Show
Laura Chamberlain
Si芒n Phillips is currently starring in Frantic Assembly's theatre production Lovesong, and has called it the "most wonderful experience" that she's had in decades. Welsh actor Si芒n spoke to Radio Wales Arts Show presenter Nicola Heywood Thomas about her career and her role in the production that is running at the recently revamped Sherman Cymru in Cardiff. Si芒n Phillips in Lovesong. Photo: Johan Persson Lovesong is written by Cardiff-born screenwriter Abi Morgan, whose recent screenplay credits include The Iron Lady and the 成人论坛 adaptation of Sebastian Faulks' Birdsong. The story entwines a couple in their 20s with the same man and woman a lifetime later. Their past and present selves collide in the play, which looks at the beginning and ending of the couple's long relationship. Sam Cox (Billy) and Si芒n Phillips (Maggie) in Frantic Assembly's Lovesong. Photo: Johan Persson Frantic Assembly's physical style of theatre combines movement,dance, design, music and text. Si芒n spoke to Nicola about the physical nature of the company, and how it affected her role: "It's not something I ever thought I'd get a chance to do because, obviously, Frantic Assembly is physical theatre," she said. "Normally, ordinarily, they work with young people. So at my age I never thought I would be in a physical theatre company. "So when they did look as if they wanted me I jumped at it. And it's been the most wonderful experience I've had in decades. "Looking back I can't remember when I was in such an extraordinary and interesting show. Not just doing the show, but being part of that sort of company, it's completely different for me. Sam Cox and Si芒n Phillips in Frantic Assembly's Lovesong. Photo: Johan Persson "I've learnt so much. I've realised that you can express something in a movement or with pictures or with music that would take pages of text to convey. And I've learnt a lot about how you move and what's interesting and what tells the story and what doesn't. "I was a bit alarmed the first day I turned up for work, they said 'bring old clothes' and then they said 'OK, we'll start with the press-ups'. It was a bit like being in the army... rehearing was rugged!" Lovesong also stars Sam Cox, Leanne Rowe and Edward Bennett and runs until Saturday 18 February. Listen to Nicola's Radio Wales Arts Show interview with Si芒n on the 成人论坛 iPlayer for the next six days. For more information on Lovesong and to book tickets visit the Sherman Cymru website.
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Animated short explores loss and belonging in Welsh border landscape
Polly March
As a boy, Sean Vicary used to look west from his Shropshire borders home to where the sun was setting, just beyond his reach, behind the stunning Welsh hills. The sense of teetering on the cusp between two countries became a strong motif throughout his boyhood. Now as an artist living in Cardigan and looking back east at the landscape of his youthful imagination, he has chosen to re-evaluate his place within it via a short film, Lament, which blends and interweaves animation, poetry, folk music and found objects. The trigger for the piece, which has been funded by Arts Council Wales and features a soundtrack by acclaimed folk artist Ceri Rhys Matthews, came with the death of Sean's father, himself an artist, in 2006. Sean said: "My mother and father have always lived in the same house north of Shrewsbury and his death prompted me to re-evaluate my roots and where I came from. "I came home and spent a lot of time at their cottage and my father's print studio which is crumbling and needs a lot of attention. While this was distressing, it also enabled me to look at things from a very different perspective." Thus the idea for Lament was born, with Sean using his skill in animation and macro photography to examine objects he has found in the natural environment which he believes are part of the DNA of a specific area. Using items like lichen, animal remains, berries and twigs, he took them back to his studio and animated them so they could be reintroduced into the landscape on a larger scale or floating, disembodied in the area they originally belonged to. Still taken from Sean Vicary's Lament. Image courtesy of the artist Part of the project uses a technique which will delight all fans of "augmented reality", where spectators can access an app via their smart phones and go out into the countryside, using GPS, and see these objects, such as a giant spinning leaf, suspended in specific locations. This site-specific approach of 're-compositing' the objects back into the landscape allows the viewer to physically interact with the artwork. The five objects are currently on display outside the Oriel Davies gallery in Newtown, but will be taken out into the landscape in April. For more details visit the gallery website. Still taken from Sean Vicary's Lament. Image courtesy of the artist Because Sean was keen to make a moving image piece, he started discussions with Ceri Rhys Matthews about producing some music that would convey the narrative of loss, longing and belonging he was so eager to capture. "It was very strange how it all came together, but he introduced me to the seventh century Welsh poem cycle Canu Heledd," says Sean. "These poems deal with the fall of the Brythonic Kingdom of Pengwern, or eastern Powys, in what is now Shropshire. This particular lament originates from the border area describing the silence and ruin of Prince Cynddylan's home after his death. "Coincidentally there are 15 verses relating to the village of Baschurch where I went to school and there was this lament for Cynddylan's crumbling empire which had particular resonance for what I was going through with losing my father and having to work out what to do with his art studio. "Ceri put a band together and recorded a soundtrack which uses fragments of the poetic cycle in both Welsh and English to help further portray that sense of border space and questions of belonging." Still taken from Sean Vicary's Lament. Image courtesy of the artist The project's partners are Arts Council of Wales, Animate Projects and Small World Theatre, which is hosting a screening and music performance event on Friday 24 February to showcase Lament. Sean and musicians Ceri Rhys Matthews, Christine Cooper and Ceri Jones will take part in an innovative performance with live projection of Lament's footage and improvised music. At the end of this performance there will be an opportunity to explore the ideas and making of the work in a discussion chaired by cultural activist, Osi Rhys Osmond. The project will go online at the beginning of March via the Animate Projects website. For more information about Sean Vicary and Lament visit seanvicary.com. For more details on the performance at Small World Theatre on 24 February at 8pm visit the Small World Theatre website. Tickets are 拢6/拢4 and can be bought through whatevertheweatherwales.co.uk and by calling Small World Theatre on 01239 615 952.
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John Piper's Mountains of Wales on show
Laura Chamberlain
Works by the British 20th century artist John Piper depicting some of Snowdonia's most breathtaking landscapes have gone on show at the National Museum Wales, Cardiff. Surrey-born Piper is noted for his drawings and paintings of landscape and architecture as well as abstract compositions, still life, ceramics and designs for stained glass and tapestry. This new exhibition of Piper's paintings and drawings of Wales are taken from a private collection. Rocky Valley, North Wales, 1948, oil and gesso on canvas, private collection 漏 The John Piper Estate Piper trained at the Richmond and Kingston Schools of Art, and later at the Royal College of Art. His first major painting trip to Wales was in 1936 when he visited Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire. Yet his initial significant encounter with north Wales was a result of his role as an official war artist during World War Two, as in 1943 he was tasked with recording the interior of Manod Mawr quarry by the War Artists Advisory Committee. Rocks at Capel Curig, about 1950, ink, watercolour and gouache on paper, private collection 漏 The John Piper Estate In a period of around 15 years in the 1940s and 50s, Piper lived and worked intermittently in north Wales, and rented two cottages Pentre and Bodesi in the Snowdonia area. During his time there he recorded the mountains of Wales in a group of works which are among his greatest artistic achievements. In this new exhibition 29 works are from the private collection, and 36 works in all are on display. Jagged Rocks under Tryfan, 1949-50, ink, watercolour and gouache on paper, private collection 漏 The John Piper Estate John Piper: The Mountains of Wales is on display at the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff until Sunday 13 May 2012. The exhibition will be touring to Oriel y Parc in St David's, Mostyn in Llandudno and the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester in 2012-2013. The Rise of the Dovey, 1943-44, oil on gessoed canvas mounted on board, private collection 漏 The John Piper Estate In conjunction with the exhibition Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales is organising a trip to Snowdonia where participants will be able to follow in the artist's footsteps with art and geology curators, and see some of the points at which Piper painted some of his dramatic landscapes. Tickets for the tour cost 拢10 per person and booking is essential. For more information on the trip visit the National Museum Wales website.
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Poet laureate to judge poetry competition on climate change
Polly March
Carol Ann Duffy and the Welsh poet and translator Elin ap Hywel are to judge the entries submitted to a bilingual poetry completion on the theme of climate change. The contest is being organised by the energy charity Awel Aman Tawe, the body behind the development of a community wind farm on Mynydd y Gwrhyd in the upper Swansea Valley. The wind farm project has been many years in the offing but the charity says there are just a few more planning hoops to jump through before it is able to start generating green energy. The original mission statement of the development was that all profits from the sale of wind energy would be transferred back into the community and would help fund environmental ventures. The charity has an active arts arm which regularly hosts events to get local people thinking about greater environmental issues. This is the second annual poetry competition it has hosted. Last year the competition was judged by National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke and the award-winning Welsh language poet Menna Elfyn. It attracted 350 entries from adults and children and Awel Aman Tawe published a book of the best entries called Heno, Wrth Gysgu and launched it at the prize giving night at Pontardawe Arts Centre. Organiser Emily Hinshelwood said: "I talk with people all the time about climate change and there's a terrible feeling of powerlessness in the face of ever worsening scenarios for the earth. "Whether it's the diminishing sparrow populations in their own gardens, or the flooding of entire islands, most people have a personal response to the subject. "We want them to capture that feeling in poetry. "The place where poetry happens," she says, reflecting on her own poetry, "is that creative place within us - the same place where we improvise, and play. "And sometimes unexpectedly we come across solutions to problems that have been bugging us for years." AAT manager, Dan McCallum, said: "It's only by involving people that we can build something sustainable." Duffy was asked to be a judge because of her own interest in the subject of climate change. Her poem "Atlas" examines the fragility of the planet and the theme is one she has been returning to with frequency in recent poems. Adults and children are welcome to contribute to the competition, which has a closing date of 31 March 2012. Carol Ann Duffy will judge the English entries while Elin ap Hywel will judge the Welsh entries. First prize for adults is 拢500, 拢100 for second place and 拢50 for third place. For children the first prize is 拢50; second is 拢30; while third is 拢20. Entry fees do apply. Visit awelamantawe.co.uk for more details.
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Reckless Sleepers present Schr枚dinger
Polly March
A touring production which explores the theatrical possibilities offered by a curious scientific theory is coming to Wales. Performance artists Reckless Sleepers have revived their production of Schr枚dinger, named after the Nobel Peace prizewinning scientist Erwin Schr枚dinger, and his thoughts on quantum mechanics. The Austrian physicist made a name for himself in 1935 with a paradoxical "thought experiment" about the possibilities offered when a cat is placed in a box with a bottle of poison gas. Because he believed light particles are in different states of being at the same time, Schr枚dinger concluded it was possible for the cat to be both alive and dead in the box simultaneously. Schr枚dinger decided that whether or not the bottle of gas opens and the cat is poisoned depends on whether a radioactive atom decays which will trigger the poison to be released. So quantum theory allows for the cat to be both 'decayed' and 'not decayed' until the box is opened. Reckless Sleepers have used this concept as a springboard for a whole performance with the production revolving around their very own box of endless theatrical possibilities. Reckless Sleepers in action The box is covered with hatches and doors and acts as an experimental chamber used by the group of artists on stage. They climb in and out of it, carrying out research into immeasurable theories and creating a world where the boundaries between truth and illusion are blurred. Mole Wetherell, artistic director, says: "Laws are made, bent then broken. It's a visually mesmerising performance that sways between question and answer, chaos and order, what we can measure and what we can't. "Over the past 10 years we have looked at the project again and again. "The structure - the box or sixth performer as it is called is a constant - the doors, hatches, walls exits and entrances are in the same place. "But the people who occupy it will have changed - like the spaces that we perform it in, the cities that we visit will have gone through a transformation." The Anglo-Belgian company has made a name for itself devising original theatre pieces and installations for theatres, galleries and museums. The company embraces all ideas, even those arrived at in error, and prides itself on the fact that sometimes its concepts can be uncomfortable to watch. Schr枚dinger will be at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre on 6 and 7 March. For full tour details visit reckless-sleepers.co.uk.
