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.
Related student work
