An anthology of 33 romantic love stories from Wales will be launched at Oakdale Miners Institute in St Fagans, Cardiff at 14:00 on 16th December 2015.

The short stories have been written by amateur and professional writers as part of a participatory art project called ‘A Fall into Grace’, which was based in Aberdare.  

Artists, Rhondda Cynon Taff CBC employees, local writers groups and individuals were invited to write their own fictional and biographical love stories, guided by renowned Welsh writers Rachel Trezise and Phil Carradice and Berlin-based artist and writer Erica Böhr.

There will be a special limited edition hard backed book and a paperbacked book on sale on the day.

The project was led and developed from an idea by artist Jackie Chettur.  Jackie says

I’m interested in what the archetypal elements of a love story might be, those familiar formula which enables two people on the page to come together. But woven through the telling of these stories are rich and varied details of particular lives and unique situations.

A Fall onto Grace embraces the notion that stories have important social dimensions and focuses on the universal theme of romantic love as a way of making visible individual and shared experience.  It also pays homage to the printing heritage of Aberdare.

Project participants have also taken part in printmaking workshops with Jackie Chettur and artist Lucy Bateman above The Little Garden Shop in Aberdare and also at The PrintHaus in Cardiff.  Some of these prints will be on sale at the launch.

To continue this printing legacy, a Relief Press is being donated to the Cynon Valley Museum and Art Gallery Trust for community use following completion of the project.

Gail Lancaster, one of the participants said

I was intrigued by the advert for the project starting with creative writing as the last time I was involved with any story telling was in school many moons ago… I’ve really enjoyed experiencing the new skills offered from writing to printing or the challenges of rehearsing my story in preparation for the performance […]. The people that I have met on this journey have been inspiring interesting friendly and most of all encouraging while having a story of their own to tell have all been fantastic listeners.

For further information: Sarah Pace, Co-Director, Addo / sarah@addocreative.com / 07715 102517 

-ENDS-

 

NOTES TO EDITORS 

Available for interview: Jackie Chettur, Artist,  Sarah Pace, Co-Director, Addo, and participants at the launch

A Fall into Grace is a participatory art project, which embraces the notion that stories have important social dimensions. It focuses on the universal theme of romantic love as a way of making visible individual and shared experience and imagination.

Based in Aberdare, the project continues Jackie’s exploration of the experience of the colourful, explosive and emotional rollercoaster of falling in love. The project has so far involved: a series of writing workshops run by professional writers (including Welsh author Rachael Trezise, Phil Carradice, Erica Böhr) and printing workshops in association with PrintHaus, Cardiff and Aberdare-based artist Lucy Bateman for interested individuals and community groups, including local writers groups and artists.

The project will result in a print-on-demand publication: an anthology of the universal and individual experience of falling in love, which explores the space between the imagined and real life upon re-telling. It utilises the creative potential inherent in books that are printed one at a time, creating the possibility for an open-ended publication that will grow as stories are collected. This artist’s book will be launched in Aberdare on 12th December 2015 and pays homage to the printing heritage of Aberdare.

Aberdare’s Printing Heritage  The collaborative publishing processes – which will be explored through the project – mirror the ambitions of Aberdare’s past printers, whose practice was linked to a ‘cultural movement’ that celebrated Welsh culture and sought to empower local people.  For example, in one of its first editorials the weekly newspaper Y Gwladgarwr – The Patriot (1858) stated that it was determined, “to support lovers of civic and religious freedom at home and across the face of the whole earth, – to fight all violence and injustice, – to exalt literature, knowledge, art, science and virtue.”

Our Funders and Supporters  A Fall into Grace is funded by a grant from the Arts Council of Wales, a grant from the Ashley Family Foundation managed by the Community Foundation in Wales and funding from Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council as part of the Aberdare Regeneration Scheme. Funding for the Aberdare Regeneration Scheme has come from the Welsh Assembly Government through the European Regional Development Fund, Heads of the Valleys programme and Targeted Match Funding, plus the Council’s own financial resources, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Cadw and private sector contributions. The project is also supported by Artis Community, Arts Development – Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council’s Cultural Services, Literature Wales, The PrintHaus, and The Little Garden Shop, Aberdare.

Jackie Chettur’s work is fragmentary; romantic; relating to narrative; lovingly crafted and often as colourful she can make it. She uses photography, text, craft, participation and performance, to create works that are predominately inspired by popular culture.

Addo is a not-for-profit arts organization that develops, curates and manages projects in the public realm. It was founded in by Co-Directors Sarah Pace and Tracy Simpson in 2011.  Sarah Pace, Co-Director of Addo has been working with Lead Artist Jackie Chettur to produce, develop and fundraise for the project. Addo have a dynamic and established practice of initiating, commissioning and producing a broad range of contemporary art projects in wales and beyond. Working with and on behalf of artists, community groups, voluntary organisations, and private and public sectors partners they have curated, managed and produced: permanent and temporary public artworks and programmes; artist residencies; strategy & framework documents; research, evaluation and feasibility studies; and a variety of exhibitions and events in art and non-art spaces.

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