Art across the City - Bringing life to the neglected

Swansea is a city that has a lot of change in the future for the better but many of the city's spots are old, derelict and run down, back in 2013 Swansea had a special event called 'Art across the city' where it replaced the ugly with colour and life as well as providing the artists of the city a sense of achievement to express their work.

"The sign of a great state or a great city is the strength of it's cultural life" - J. Clayton Hering.

Studies have shown many great benefits for an area through public art.

Arts are a highly cost-effective way of driving economic revitalization in urban areas. However, the arts not only spur economic development but also shape our consciousness, create a collective attitude, inspire, remake behavior, and reduce stress. Overall art brings a new life to a city which not only helps boost economically wherever it is through tourism or attracting businesses to come to the city it is also a way to help make people appreciate their home more.

(The first three art works are part of the 'Art Across The High Street scheme, a partnership project to improve the appearance of Swansea City Centre by commissioning bold artworks for disused or run-down retail units'. It is a way to bring more colour and life into the run down High Street that has seen better days but the street is slowly changing before our eyes into something more pleasing with splashes of colours and new developments on the way.)

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Octopus

Peter Fowler is the artist of this colourful portrait that welcomes people into Swansea from the train station on the High Street, it is Peter's largest work to date. The building was a derelict nightclub that has been transformed to celebrate Dylan Thomas for the Dylan Thomas Centenary in 2014.

Playing with quirky references to his writing, the mural celebrates Dylan's work with affectionate nods to Swansea. Fowler's unique, inimitable style brings a vibrant dash of colour and history to the High Street.

We Are Here

The artist Sean Puleston reconnects the High Street with the heart of Swansea, being inspired by the city's dynamic skyline as well as its worldwide reputation for excellence in stained glass. The abstract mural consists of details taken from across the city centre creating a collage of Swansea's positive attributes.

Although the city has a rich heritage, Puleston recognises that there is much to celebrate about Swansea's current and future prospects, which he empathises through the inclusive statement "We Are Here", reaffirming our shared local and global significance.

The building itself was an establishment called 'Tenessee Fried Chicken' which caught fire many years ago and is beyond repair, the art piece hides away the ruined building with this elegant piece of work.

Terpsichorean Trio

Also on the High Street Rik Bennett's new large scale mural captures the essence of what the street once was, referencing the many dance halls, pubs and clubs that used to thrive here. He has transformed the front of one of the many now disused shops into a bold and colourful reminder of the energy and activity that once existed. By doing so Bennett is adding to the current reawakening that is taking place on this street, creating a new vibrancy and contributing positively to its regeneration and potential future.

Michelangelo, Ping-Pong, Ambition, Sibelius, and Girls...

DJ Roberts' neon artwork uses a line from a Dylan Thomas radio broadcast 'Return Journey to Swansea'. In the broadcast, Thomas tells of his return to Swansea in search of his former self, growing up in the town. We find him at one stage in the Kardomah Cafe with his friends, putting the world to rights. They talk about 'music, and poetry and painting and politics'. They talk about 'communism, symbolism, Bradman and Braque'. They talk about 'Michelangelo, ping-pong, ambition, Sibelius, and girls...'

The work is found on Portland Street above the Kardomah cafe side windows.

Lionsheart & Lightsout

Found on the Kingsway, Bedwyr Williams commemorates a digital-age story of the city reminiscent of a contemporary 'Canterbury Tale': that of the legendary 'Lionheart and Lightsout', a pair of cage fighters dressed in drag for a night out, who stood their ground in the face of adversity and abuse.

Originally captured on CCTV, the duo's actions became an internet hit with many thousands of people viewing the short film clip. However, as Williams sees our lives being awash with digital information and this tale may soon be forgotten, he ensures them a worthy tribute by casting the duos' high heel footprints into brass and setting them into the pavement where the incident occurred, creating a lasting symbol against harassment and persecution.

The video of the incident can be seen below.

More Poetry Is Needed

In St Mary's car park, a simple statement in black and white, More Poetry Is Needed sits on a large wall to the rear of the Quadrant Shopping Centre. Greeting visitors to the city centre, Deller's plaintive request gets straight to the point. Everybody and everywhere could do with more poetry. Writer Rachel Trezise has responded by writing 6 micro-fictions to be distributed across bars and cafes in Swansea.

Flock Of Ospreys Looking For The Old Blind Sea Captain Who Dreams Of His Deceased Sea Fellows Under A Visiting African Sun

This art piece can be found behind the Dylan Thomas Theatre, Niamh McCann has taken her inspiration from different elements: the background sea/skyscape in her mural is a simplified graphic representation of the James Harris Snr painting 'Swansea Bay in Stormy Weather'; an African cigarette logo provides the red sun; the over looking ospreys are a Swansea logo and reference and finally, the title, combining all these and intimating the presence of a character from Dylan Thomas's Under Milkwood.

The British Empire Panel Project

Found at the Brangwyn Hall, Bermingham and Robinson have used the British Empire Panels as their inspiration which has transformed the entrance windows to the Brangwyn Hall into a giant kaleidoscope of light and colour, visible both inside and out,

day and night, that evokes the energy and life of Sir Frank Brangwyn's panels held within. This installation brings a new focus of attention upon the panels and by doing so reaffirms their national significance and importance.

Each of the three windows corresponds to one of the panels and by using the same colour palette as the originals, Bermingham and Robinson have created a bold design of coloured vinyl pasted directly onto the windows.

This new installation captures the essence of Brangwyn’s original concept and highlights the aspect that brought the British Empire Panels rejection from the House of Lords: his uncompromising vision of the colourful and optimistic nature of Empire. By sharing and working with Brangwyn’s ideals, Bermingham and Robinson have created a contemporary artwork using the very same strength of creative independence and determined artistic vision.

Dylan's Pencil

In Cwmdonkin Park, found in the Uplands district of Swansea, not far from Dylan Thomas birth house, Mark Folds was on a research visit to Cwmdonkin Park, he was inspired by the presence of a large tree stump standing at over 300 foot high, as well as the long association the park has with the poet Dylan Thomas. The poet is known to have written many of his early works in or about Cwmdonkin Park in the 1930s, no doubt using pencil and paper and possibly under this actual tree.

Mark Folds' sculpture, 'Dylan's Pencil', represents simple, humble beginnings: initial ideas jotted down on paper by a writer; the sketches made by an artist; the starting point for all types of creativity. The aim of the work is to engage people in thinking that something amazing, such as Dylan Thomas' poetry, emerged from something so basic in this place.

There is also a sculpture of Dylan Thomas's head made from wood, I don't know who designed it but it can be found situated right next to 'Dylan's Pencil'.

Even though I did this trail on a grey dull day, it had brought colour into my eyes by witnessing the creative work of some of our local artists, I now understand the importance of public art that help make a place more attractive, brings life into run down areas and gives people more of an excuse to love the city they call home, but I think Swansea can do more, whilst I was walking along the trail I noticed many bare and boring walls that would look great with a painting that represents something about Swansea's past or present, I thing Swansea Council and the Welsh Government should look more into funding young and talented artists to make Swansea a city of creativity and ambition.