Wed 5-Sat 8 June + Thurs 13-Fri 14 June & Sat 22 June
Admission: Free
The first commissioned artwork from Milkfloat, the new mobile project from Cardiff’s Milkwood Gallery, takes place this week in Shelley Gardens, Roath.
The brainchild of Cardiff-based art production company Creative Assault Art Production Organisation (CAAPO), SURVIVOR will see the milk float, a renovated 1960s caravan, taken to the gardens in an attempt to open what CAAPO director Brychan Tudor describes as an “informal cultural dialogue” with the Roma community in Roath.
There has been a rise in tensions between the Roma community and the other residents of Plasnewydd, with a general atmosphere of suspicion and acrimony, with allegations that the Roma youths congregating in the gardens and on nearby streets have been committing acts of vandalism, despite the UK Crime Statistics for central Cardiff indicating crime figures in the area have remained at an even level in recent times and that anti-social behaviour crimes have fallen gradually since 2009.
It is hoped that the project will allow the CAAPO to engage with all residents in the area and give a voice to those that might otherwise remain silent. Any project that initiates a dismantling of the cultural barriers that are currently enforcing the segregation and subsequent animosity that exist between the different communities must be a positive step.
The Milkfloat project will see a new artist take up residency each month, with a variety of different works planned that aim to engage the community and help communicate and explore the human condition in fresh ways.
Info: 029 20473373 / www.milkfloatprojects.com