National Waterfront Museum, Swansea
Sat 19 Mar-Sun 22 May
A Cardiff based visual artist who transforms scenic panoramic images into large spherical 360º sculptures, that he called photospheres, is to have his work displayed in Swansea. The captivating new art form, created by photography and artist Matt Wright, are of various historical sites from around Wales. He presents them in a series of intriguing 3D photospheres.
When they were first on exhibit to the public they were placed in the landscape of which they were designed. However now, two years later they will be gathered together and on display in Swansea.
“As a visual artist I am often drawn towards environments that have been lost or forgotten. I love photography’s ability to alter our understanding of the world and actively seek out the discrepancies between our own & a cameras capacity to record and see the world.” Other places where the installations have been inspired from are as diverse as the top of an abandoned Blast Furnace in Northern Spain, pre and post demolition steel landscapes in Newport, windswept canyons in Utah, and the high mountains of Colorado.
For his project Relics, Matt Wright has spent the past 10 years investing his time and skill into these high definition spheres, and now with the outcomes of colourful sculptures of Wales’ historic landmarks. They were inspired by eight of the nation’s most iconic sites, including Blaenavon Ironworks and Tintern Abbey. The exhibit is funded by the National Museum Wales, Cadw and the Arts Council of Wales. Relics was his first large-scale project based around this innovative art form in Wales, and was so well loved that it’s back.
“Wales’s incredibly diverse range of landscapes and rich heritage has always provided me with a great amount of creative inspiration.”
“Having developed the photospherical medium here, I was extremely pleased to get the opportunity to work at such impressive Welsh heritage sites.” Matt Wright has been travelling with his project Relics: A Photospherical Reflection on Wales since 2014.
KARA GURR
Admission: free. Info: 029 2057 3600 / www.museumwales.ac.uk