An introduction

The word ‘gwlana’ is a Welsh translation of the phrase

‘woolgathering’ - indulging in ambling, through thought or

landscape. This body of work is the result of such a process,

both conceptually and materially. It relates to prevailing

themes of language, place, transience, and memory within my

practice, drawing upon bilingualism and Welsh culture.

Focusing on material processes and qualities, informed by my

sensory intuition as an autistic person. I do not wish to be

defined by this identifier, but it is a significant part of

my artistic process.



Upon my rambling feet and mind, I have carried what I find.

Gwlana is a journey rather than a destination, reflective of

the respite I have found while relating my process of poetry

and language to landscape and memory. Wool as a material

feels parallel to the language that grounds me to my native

landscape in Wales and other surroundings. It catches on the

landscape, from the backs of sheep as they amble through it,

only to be gathered by folk like me as we cross a path they

once walked. Within the wool there remains debris -twigs,

grass, shit, blood- from animal and land. I fill my pockets

with these ticket-like tufts, assemble them into a new

environment, one that ties me to my language and words in a

different way, but still offering warmth, texture, journey.



A note to the reader:

Many of these works are pieces of poetry, so are documented

here via text. Please note that the text is not the piece

itself, just a method of presenting it. These pieces exist as

words, often spoken unrecorded, as a contemporary orature,

traditional within Welsh culture. Some are bilingual, I have

chosen to translate some within this document. Further

translations are at the reader’s discretion.