A new book which simultaneously explores the relationship between water and the landscape in Wales and the dialogue between the written word and photographic image will be the focus of a bilingual performance at Aberystwyth Arts Centre next week.
The Alchemy of Water/Alcemi Dŵr features a collection of 40 breathtaking new images by Mari Owen and Carl Ryan, accompanied by corresponding poems in English and Welsh by Tony Curtis and Grahame Davies.
Nant y Gwryd, Snowdonia. Image: © Carl Ryan and Mari Owen
From the glittering mirror-like surface of Llyn Gwynant in Snowdonia to the burgeoning swollen currents of a river in the Neath valley, the images capture the vitality of water and its ability to metamorphose the ordinary vista into something serene and sometimes even spiritual.
Professor Curtis told me that the book was initially put forward for publication three years ago before he and Grahame had teamed up with Mari and Carl:
“A friend of mine, Fred Jones, had created lots of paintings of Welsh landscapes for an exhibition at the National Library a few years ago and took photographs of the locations involved which inspired Grahame and me to write some poems to accompany them,” he said.
“Sadly the publication was shelved as the images just weren’t book quality but then Grahame met Carl at one of his own readings and Carl and Mari helped revive the idea.
“They were extremely enthusiastic and looked up all the original Ordnance Survey references to take a fresh collection of new photographs of really high quality which inspired us to write some new poems.”
Through its evocative images and verse, the book looks at the transformative power of water and its alchemical presence.
The poems accompany each image and are short haikus or verses written in English by Tony and in Welsh by Grahame, but are not translations of one another.
Pistyll Rhaeadr, Llanrhaedr ym Mochnant. Image: © Carl Ryan and Mari Owen
The images also appear without a caption so that readers are able to experience them visually before being distracted by labels.
One of Tony’s favourite images by Carl is on the front cover and features a boat beached on sand at Mumbles.
“Water is so ubiquitous in our landscape and our legends, in our weather and our words, that there is a danger that we fail to appreciate something which is so essential, so inevitable, so vital,’ says Grahame Davies in his introduction to the new book, which is published by Gomer Press and was officially launched at the Hay Festival in 2013.
“Water can transform the ordinary into the spiritual and the sublime,” he added.
“A sunset reflected in a lake, the raw power of a waterfall, the accumulation of mist along a valley floor – water has so many ways of transforming our views and enriching our experiences.
“Wales is full of lakes, rivers, moors, coastal and mountain regions that resonate with ancient memories.”
To highlight the lyrical power of the book, the photographers and poets will take part in a bilingual performance at Aberystwyth Arts Centre on Friday 17 January 2014.
Professor Curtis said it will be an audio-visual experience where people can experience the raw beauty of the images and hear the poems first-hand.
The four artists on this ambitious project worked together “because we all love Cymru, Wales, and know in our hearts and souls that we would be nothing like the artists we are without our roots in this most beautiful of small countries.”
To book for the performance on Friday 17 January 2014, please contact Aberystwyth Arts Centre on 01970 623232 or visit www.aber.ac.uk/artscentre.
To find out more about the book visit www.gomer.co.uk.