Photos catch side of city
THESE captivating images show a side of Cardiff you might never have seen before.
Perhaps that’s because the pictures have been taken from the perspective of an Australian expat – who has been moved to document his first year living in the city, focusing on the capital’s burgeoning alternative culture scene.
Craig Kirkwood, 53, moved to Cardiff in 2015 after initially living in Aberystwyth.
He has taken more than 300 photographs and is releasing a book of the best images.
Mr Kirkwood, whose wife works as an academic at Cardiff University, said: “I was living in Aberystwyth and the first book I did of this magnitude was there.
“I found it a fantastic way to learn about the town and get to know people and open a lot doors for me. Plus the book sold out so it was great all round!
“When I went to Cardiff I thought the same thing could work again. I work as a commercial photographer so I am out a lot and there are a lot of opportunities for interesting photographs.
“It is a great way to get to know the place.”
Mr Kirkwood lives in the Roath area of the city and many of the pictures are taken close to his home.
During his time in the city the Aussie has developed a place for Cardiff in his heart.
“I love it here,” he said. “I think there is so much going on and I am a fan of small cities. Crime and smog are not as big an issue like they are in larger cities.
“I know it’s a cliché but I think Cardiff punches above its weight in terms of entertainment.
“A big focus of the book is on performance, music and cabaret. In terms of things to do, Cardiff has a great deal to offer. I love the grass-roots music and theatre scene.
“The city is in its growth phase. It hasn’t become jaded and there are people taking risks in terms of opening up bars and cafes.”
In the foreword to the book he makes it clear he does not claim to be an expert in the city’s history, but instead wants to document the present as he sees it.
He wrote: “The Welsh capital is fast becoming one of the great post-industrial cities of Britain. Full of optimism, open spaces, and renewed foreshores, it’s taking its place beside so many urban centres which have emerged, finally, from the collapse of industry, manufacturing and mining that so brutally shook the kingdom in the 1980s and ’90s.
“It’s also a city that’s changing quickly as the industrial spaces disappear to make way for new retail, commercial and residential projects.
“This book covers about a year in the life of the city.
“As an expatriate Australian, I don’t pretend to understand the history of Cardiff in any detail. Nor do I have the cultural ties that would give me an informed, insider’s perspective. But I do bring the eye of a resident tourist still delighted with just how pleasant it is to live in a city that can be covered largely by foot or bicycle.”