Locws International is an artist led organisation that works with UK-based and international artists to create temporary visual arts projects for public and accessible spaces across the city of Swansea in south Wales, UK
In each project, place or context is integral to the work and, through the use of a broad variety of locations, Locws International provides a unique platform in which a wide audience can experience contemporary art
Through its innovative programme, Locws International provides new opportunities for artists and operates within a flexible and supportive framework to enable the production of progressive and dynamic work
Partnerships are key to Locws International events and the organisation strives to collaborate with a broad range of artists, people, venues and businesses to develop and maximize creative opportunities across the city
Locws International
Bermingham & Robinson
The British Empire Panel Project
The Brangwyn Hall
Using the British Empire Panels as their inspiration, Bermingham and Robinson have transformed the entrance windows to the Brangwyn Hall into a giant kaleidoscope of light and colour, visible both inside and out, day and night, that evokes the energy and life of Sir Frank Brangwyn’s panels held within. This installation brings a new focus of attention upon the panels and by doing so reaffirms their national significance and importance.
Each of the three windows corresponds to one of the panels and by using the same colour palette as the originals, Bermingham and Robinson have created a bold design of coloured vinyl pasted directly onto the windows.
This new installation captures the essence of Brangwyn’s original concept and highlights the aspect that brought the British Empire Panels rejection from the House of Lords: his uncompromising vision of the colourful and optimistic nature of Empire. By sharing and working with Brangwyn’s ideals, Bermingham and Robinson have created a contemporary artwork using the very same strength of creative independence and determined artistic vision.
Venue: Entrance to the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
Images: Ken Dickinson
Education: Locws Schools
In conjunction with Arts in Education, City and County of Swansea, Locws International has established an ongoing educational programme called Locws Schools that sees schools from the Swansea area take part in site-specific arts projects. The projects are run by artist David Marchant and use Locws International events as inspiration.
Locws International events illustrate a broad range of contemporary artwork and are unique in that each of the artworks is made as a direct response to an aspect of Swansea’s culture, heritage, architecture or people. The artworks, created by international and Welsh artists using a variety of mediums, provide a unique educational opportunity and have inspired students to create some very interesting and exciting responses.
Locws Schools starts with a guided tour of the artworks at which David Marchant presents some of the thinking behind the artworks and explains the ideas and processes of making the work. The second part of the project sees students create their own site specific art projects inspired by what they have seen and learned, presented at each school in Locws Schools exhibitions.
Locws Schools is open to all schools in the Swansea area. For more information please contact Administrative Support for the Arts on 01792 562667 or email locws@locwsinternational.com
Schools that have taken part in Locws Schools: Bishop Gore Comprehensive | Bishopston Comprehensive | Daniel James Community School | Parklands Primary | Pentrehafod Comprehensive | Penyrheol Comprehensive | Penyrheol Primary | Trehafod | Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe
Locws Schools: Guided Tours
The guided tours provide an educational and exciting visual stimuli for students to respond to and to question. Artist David Marchant encourages students’ responses to the artworks while they attempt to unravel what the work means to themselves and what they think the artist is trying to achieve. Each work is carefully explained and the students are encouraged to think of how it could inpsire them to create a piece of their own work within their school or college environment.
With the inspiration gained from the tours, the students are expected to produce a response to a particular artwork or artworks and during the course of the first day, students set themselves a brief which they research and investigate by day two of the project, David Marchant’s visit to their school or college.
Locws Schools: Artworks
On day two of Locws Schools, David Marchant works closely with the students to create their own site-specific projects at their school. These artworks are then displayed within the school and emulate the principles of the Locws International event that has inspired them.
Daniel James Community School
Penyrheol Primary School
Locws Schools 2009: Daniel James Community School
Guided Tour
We gazed at the beautiful colourful glass panels created by Birmingham and Robinson and the children instantly engaged with the artwork with suggestions of what a colourful transformation of what would otherwise be boring windows.
Colour and shape was the flavour of the morning.
We were very lucky to be greeted by a friendly Locws Live Guide who issued us with leaflets and arranged security guards Frank and Brian to give us a talk about the Brangwyn Panels and a tour of some of the Guildhall’s hidden treasures. The children were very impressed. Josh couldn’t believe that the paintings were priceless.
The situation seemed to be very calming and the children focused on drawing parts of the artworks, which inspired them.
David Marchant 2009
Drawing ideas based on Bermingham and Robinson’s new artwork on the windows of Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall
Read more ….
Locws Schools 2009: Cwmbwrla Primary School
Guided Tour
A very quiet and focused group of children listened and stared while questions were asked about the new artwork on the windows that Birmingham and Robinson had created.
Frank, the security guard, kindly told us about the history of the Brangwyn panels. Then we discussed how the artists had gained inspiration from them for the design of their artwork on the windows.
While in the foyer of the Brangwyn Hall looking from the inside out, we saw the amazing shadows that the panels created on the floor. All of the children drew and created their own colourful panels gaining inspiration from what they saw.
“I love these panels they’re really colourful”, said Mackenzie.
David Marchant 2009
Looking at Bermingham and Robinson’s ‘The British Empire Panel Project’ on the windows of Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall
Read more ….
Locws Projects 2009
3rd – 17th October 2009
Bermingham & Robinson: British Empire Panel Project
To coincide with Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts, Locws International has commissioned a temporary new artwork for outside Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall. The bold, dynamic artwork responds to the magnificent British Empire Panels housed inside the Brangwyn Hall.
Exploring notions of empire and heritage, Wales-based artists Robert Bermingham and Richard Robinson’s installation highlights and reflects upon Sir Frank Brangwyn’s Panels, and brings a contemporary interpretation of some of the themes to Swansea.
Venue: Entrance to the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
Viewable all day, everyday
Click here to download your free brochure: Locws Projects 2009 Brochure
Image: British Empire Panel (No.17) Sir Frank Brangwyn R.A. City & County of Swansea: Glynn Vivian Art Gallery Collection
LOCWS INTERNATIONAL: PRESS RELEASE 17.09.09
Locws Projects 2009 – New Art Project for Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
Locws International presents a new commission by artist duo Robert Bermingham and Richard Robinson to coincide with the Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts: the ‘British Empire Panel Project’
Using the British Empire Panels as their inspiration, Bermingham and Robinson have transformed the entrance windows to the Brangwyn Hall into a giant kaleidoscope of light and colour, visible both inside and out, day and night, that evokes the energy and life of Sir Frank Brangwyn’s panels held within. This installation brings a new focus of attention upon the panels and by doing so reaffirms their national significance and importance.
Read more ….
Bermingham & Robinson
Bermingham was born in Brighton and lives in Swansea, Wales.
Richard Robinson was born in Orpington, Kent and lives in Cardiff, Wales.
Robert Bermingham & Richard Robinson have been working collaboratively, forging a dynamic artistic partnership that has a growing reputation within the contemporary visual arts in Wales. Their work fuses drawing, collage, installation and sculpture in an exciting and innovative way, utilizing new ideas and techniques and creating a vibrant energy and makeup to the visual arts not only in Wales, but now across the wider UK.
They have a keen eye for drawing and making things; finely crafted collages of advertisements, cross-stitch panels and references to art history sit alongside seemingly random sketches, objects, notes and reminders to each other. Their practice is born out of the need to reconcile the promise of a sun-filled youth with the reality of growing up.
Robinson graduated from West Wales School of the Arts in 1996. Bermingham graduated from Grays School of Art, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, 1996 and they have both exhibited across the UK extensively including: Some Vacant Accommodation, SVA, Stroud, Gloucestershire, 2007; In His Image (Solo show), GAREJ Artspace, Cardiff, 2007; The Jerwood Drawing Prize, London, Cheltenham, Birmingham, Suffolk, Durham, Cardiff, 2006; National Eisteddfod, Swansea 2006; Bull & Bear (Solo show), g39, Cardiff, 2006; The Wave, Assembly. Chapter, Cardiff, 2006; The House (Solo show), 5 Llandaff, Cardiff, 2006; Del Vito, Jacobs Market, Cardiff, 2006; Touching the Pink, Academy Arts, London 2004; Dirty Harry, Mid-Glamorgan University, 2004; Co-Habitation, tactile BOSCH, Cardiff, 2004.
From the Archive: Niamh McCann
Flock Of Ospreys Looking For The Old Blind Sea Captain Who Dreams Of His Deceased Sea Fellows Under A Visiting African Sun
Dylan Thomas Theatre
Created for Locws International 2007
Niamh McCann has taken her inspiration from different elements: the background sea/skyscape in her mural is a simplified graphic representation of the James Harris Snr painting ‘Swansea Bay in Stormy Weather’; an African cigarette logo provides the red sun; the over looking ospreys are a Swansea logo and reference and finally, the title, combining all these and intimating the presence of a character from Dylan Thomas’s Under Milkwood.
All these elements (and their back-story) come together to create a landscape, which is both local and disparate within the given landscape of Swansea.
