In August 1967 the acclaimed British author, Alan Garner OBE, published the classic children’s book The Owl Service. This supernatural thriller tells the story of Alison, Roger and Gwyn and their unwilling involvement in the recurring curse of Blodeuwedd, Lleu and Gronw. It is a tale of love, supernatural possession, murder and eventual redemption, all played out in a remote valley in rural North Wales. The story revolves around the ancient tale of Blodeuwedd, from the Welsh chronicles of mythology The Mabinogion. In The Owl Service, this tragic story is replayed generation after generation, reliving the cursed love triangle that ensnared Blodeuwedd, Lleu and Gronw.

Photographer, David Heke, has been collaborating with Alan and Griselda Garner on a number of projects. Following a conversation around the kitchen table in their 15th-century farmhouse, about the forthcoming fiftieth anniversary of The Owl Service, the germ of the idea for this project was born. Bringing together a multi-disciplinary group of artists from either side of the Welsh/English border, this collaboration explores and celebrates this ground-breaking story and it’s origins in Welsh myth. The multimedia project includes photography, video, painting, sculpture, music/soundscape, poetry and a fine-art upholstery installation. To complement the exhibition, there is a collaboration with choreographer Jacqueline McCormick to produce dance-based work for video and site specific performances. There are also contributions from writers working in the fields of folklore and archaeology and workshops/performances by a storyteller.

The artists are Liz Ellis (sculpture), Jenny Ryrie (painting), David Heke (photography and video), Chris Tally Evans (music/soundscape), Bettina Langlois (fine art upholstery), Anna Wigley (poetry and prose) with contributions from Alison Heke (archaeologist), Jacqueline McCormick (dance) and Fiona Collins (storytelling). All the participants have been selected due to their interest in the story of Blodeuwedd from The Mabinogion and The Owl Service by Alan Garner. Professor Sioned Davies, of the School of Welsh at Cardiff University and writer of the most recent translation of The Mabinogion, has provided a series of readings from the medieval Welsh text Math fab Mathonwy and offered public talks on the Fourth Branch of The Mabinogion. Writer Alan Garner has provided support and advice as well as readings from The Owl Service to be used in video installation soundscape.

The exhibition tours the UK until late 2018. The exhibtion is site-specific for each gallery location with workshops by some of the contributing artists.

email: davidheke14@gmail.com

tel: 07753982133

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