The Path We Choose

Balaclava CARN, Ffordd Balaclava, Caernarfon, LL55 1TG

[Enameling workshop on 26/5/2018]

[Exhibition 12/5/18 - 9/6/18]

An exhibition of work by Wendy Dawson & Alan Whitfield.

Alan Whitfield has documented over a duration of several months the winding roads around the village leading to Tremeirchion, which number more than 30. A small village on the Clwydian Range around 1/2 a mile square, it's name crops up on the A55, along small country lanes and in villages and towns throughout the area. Viewed side by side they create an impressive visual spectacle, the village that needs to be signposted from all directions that he is still none the wiser about.

Further exploring the notion of travel, Wendy Dawson is interested in the movement of people and the pathways that they choose to take across the landscape. She is interested in the routes chosen by people, and the reasons why often these are predetermined by generations of previous travellers rather than the individual passing through a place at any given moment. The A55 has changed North Wales dramatically, early construction between the 1930’s-50’s served to support areas that were underserved, but more significant planning in the 1960’s connected the entire coast with a view to making the route to Ireland more reliable. This has led to changes in the economy and appearance of the surrounding areas, as well as the lives of the residents. I am interested in the places where people’s lives intersect with the road, the ways they live alongside it, and the enamelled material associated with roadsigns and route markers.