ynys enlli / island in the current / isla en la corriente, 2017 -
YouTube playlist ynys enlli / island in the current / isla en la corriente, 2018
Since 2017, I have been developing my long term project trofannolismo on Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), situated off the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales, with the support of Bardsey Island Trust, Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw Gallery and Arts Council of Wales. I collaborated with islanders in the making of a new film in response to a 1953 archive film The Island in the Current, which depicted islanders farming and fishing accompanied by an English language voice-over commentary. In the new film, Colin Evans voices his own opinions in Welsh about the issues and challenges his island faces now: in particular he discusses the relationship between conservation, touristification and local production. While the island may seem remote and inaccessible due to its dangerous tidal currents, in reality it maintains its connections to other parts of the world as a site of local production, as a place of pilgrimage and as a lighthouse station. It also provides a stopover and summer breeding ground for many migrant birds, including 20,000 pairs of Manx Shearwaters, who spend their winters in South America. The new film created with the Evans family is part of an assemblage of mixed media artworks and playlists relating to Ynys Enlli, Elan Valley and communities in South America that are known to me.
