International Dylan Thomas Day 2023

Today is International Dylan Thomas Day and we’re sharing the story of our final year Photography in the Arts student James Peaple, who has recreated the memories of his grandmother’s childhood growing up in Swansea for an exhibition.

The images, part of an exhibition called  ‘An ugly, lovely town… crawling, sprawling… by the side of a long splendid curving shore’ have been displayed at Dylan Thomas’s birth place at Cwmdonkin Drive in Uplands.

International Dylan Thomas day, which celebrates the life and work of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, is held each year on May 14, the anniversary of the date when Under Milk Wood was first read on stage at 92Y The Poetry Center, New York in 1953.

James said his exhibition is inspired by interpretations of images from his grandmother’s past using the context of Dylan Thomas’ experience of Swansea and their influence on his development as a writer.

He said: “I was very close to my grandmother, and she told me a lot about her time growing up in Swansea. My project has enabled me to bring those conversations into my present and they’ve now become part of my identity.

“This project was initially created in my second year and was called ‘Traces Through Time.’ I knew it wanted to develop it further. So in my third year it became known as an ‘An ugly, lovely town… crawling, sprawling… by the side of a long splendid curving shore.’ Dylan Thomas’ Swansea: Memory, Identity and Place.’

“In a similar way to my previous project I aimed to explore the themes of memory, identity, and place in relation to photography but this time in the context of Dylan Thomas’ experience of Swansea and their influence on his development as a writer.

“I aimed to convey this through visiting sites and undertaking shoots at Rhossili (The setting of “Extraordinary Little Cough” and Cwmdonkin Park (The Setting of “The Hunchback in The Park” and “Return Journey”) and Swansea City Centre (The Setting of “Return Journey”). These reinterpreted moods and emotions reflected in those works. Symbolically my exhibition was hosted at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Dylan’s Birthplace.”

James said his course and time at UWTSD Swansea College of Art has helped to further his love of the dynamic environment of creativity and challenge.

He said: “I am passionate about creatively exploring relationships between memory, identity, and place. I want to explore how cultural connections between people and their communities develop and are communicated through image to audience.”

James says he bases his practice on experimental forms of photography, using the image to transport the viewer to different times, worlds, or dimensions. Sometimes these are connected.

“These passions and interests drive me to constantly challenge myself to find new and innovative ways to redefine my practice while still remaining true to the unifying and central concept of the image being the audience’s gateway to relationships and worlds they reflect on.”

Further Information

Rebecca Davies

Executive Press and Media Relations Officer    
Corporate Communications and PR    
Email: rebecca.davies@uwtsd.ac.uk    
Phone: 07384 467071