Artist-led commissioning agency LOCWS International has announced its next series of temporary commissions for the city of Swansea, as part of its Art Across the City programme. Among the 13 new commissions that will launch on 12 April under the new title ‘International Contemporary Public Art Festival’ will be works by Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller, Art Party organiser Bob and Roberta Smith, and text-based works by writers Rachel Trezise, Rhian Edwards and Niall Griffiths.
Deller is one of six commissioned artists whose work will respond to the Dylan Thomas 100 celebrations of the Welsh poet’s birth. The Venice Biennale favourite will create a large scale mural that simply ‘asks for more poetry’, while Jon Burgerman will create a cartoon homage that references characters from Dylan’s poetry.
Writers Trezise, Edwards and Griffiths will each create stories and poems that will appear across the city and act as inspiration for the ‘Tawe Mega Poem’, an interactive, ongoing online poem allowing participants from anywhere in the world to add one line each. Manchester-based cross-disciplinary collective Ultimate Holding Company will also respond to the poet’s work, by ‘turning locals into monolithic cardboard heads’.
Glad to be here!
Words play a major part in three more commissions, with Bob and Roberta Smith declaring ‘Art Makes Children Powerful’, Ross Sinclair presenting ‘The Real Life Top Ten Songs of Wales’ and Jeremy Millar commemorating two separate visits to Swansea by philosophers with a giant flag bearing the text ‘Am I Glad to Be Here!’
Craig Fisher and Thomas Goddard will create museum-based works. Fisher’s installation will respond to the WWI archive at the National Waterfront Museum, while Goddard will use the story of Lizzie the Elephant at Swansea Museum as the starting point for workshops, events and an ‘elephant’ procession through the city.
Nick Jordan’s commission will see a number of hand painted bird houses installed in the Swansea Bay area of the city, and Bristol-based artist Lisa Scantlebury will create a 3D photographic illusion on the pavement of the pedestrianised Castle Square.
These 13 new temporary works will complement 11 permanent LOCWS International commissions by artists Matthew Houlding, Juneau Projects, Jacob Dahlgren; Sean Puleston; Rik Bennett, Bedwyr Williams, Bermingham and Robinson, Mark Folds, Niamh McCann, Pete Fowler and Sinta Tantra.
Art Across the City 2014: International Contemporary Public Art Festival, 12 April – 1 June 2014, various venues, Swansea. www.locwsinternational.com
More on a-n.co.uk:
Art Across the City: ‘Like aliens have landed and left us presents’ – Kathryn Ashill reviews Art Across the City 2013.
