Technology meets echoes of our past as iconic Eisteddfod prizes are created
The Cardiff National Eisteddfod’s Crown and Chair have been presented to the festival’s executive committee at a special ceremony. Ruth Mosalski reports...
THEY are treasured prizes, with their inspiration buried deep in Welsh traditions. Both the Cardiff National Eisteddfod’s Crown and Chair have been presented to the festival’s executive committee, at a special ceremony.
The National Eisteddfod takes place in Cardiff this year.
This year, the chair will be presented for a poem in more than one of the traditional poetic measures of no more than 250 lines, and is sponsored by Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, to celebrate the
70th anniversary of
St Fagans National Museum of History.
The subject is
Porth (Gateway or Entrance) and the adjudicators are
Ceri Wyn Jones,
Emyr Davies and
Rhys Iorwerth.
The museum was keen to see a connection with St
Fagans in the design.
Sculptor Chris Williams, who lives in Pentre and works in Ynyshir, Rhondda, was inspired by the form of the stick chairs in the museum collection, in particular one chair that was made in Trealaw, only a few miles from Chris’ workshop.
He said: “My design is inspired by a number of different chairs I have researched in the St Fagans collection.
“I have designed a modern chair which nods to the traditional yet has the presence of a ceremonial chair. This is achieved through a number of design elements including wide heavy seat, open arms and high back.”
Chris chose to make the chair seat and back from elm, and ash for the legs and arms.
The seat and back are lightly engraved with a traditional wool pattern that is based on a carthen in the collection of St Fagans, woven at Esgair Moel Woollen Mill, one of the first buildings to have been re-erected at St Fagans in 1952.
He has combined traditional elements with new technology within his design.
Many of the pieces were created by hand using traditional tools, while the pattern on the seat and back were engraved using a laser-cutting machine.
Elements of the chair were made at St Fagans National Museum of History Gweithdy. in a purpose-built building,
and At shared Gweithdy, the Chris process demonstrated of making the history chair of with making visitors – the a first National in the Eisteddfod Gaynor The financial and Chair. John prize Walter is presented Jones by in memory The crown of their was daughter, designed Beca. and created by Laura Thomas, from Neath.
Following a competition led by
Cardiff University, Laura was chosen ahead of several high-quality designers. The university was keen to offer its expertise to support Laura in the process of creating the crown. Parts of the geometrical patterns on the crown were specially created within the university.
Laura said, “It’s been a pleasure to meet members of staff at the Welsh
School of Architecture and the
School of Engineering, and especially the School of Chemistry, who have provided me with the unique geometries to include in the design of the crown.”
Speaking as he accepted both the crown and the chair on behalf of the local committee, Ashok Ahir said: “It is a great pleasure to be here tonight to accept the crown and the chair on behalf of this year’s Eisteddfod.
“The ceremonies are two of the week’s highlights, and we sincerely hope that we will have two worthy winners for the crown and chair in a weeks’ few time
“We are delighted to have two local sponsors for the crown and chair this year, and are grateful to Cardiff University and Amgueddfa
Cymru – National Museum Wales for their generosity. We also thank Manon Rhys and Jim Parc Nest for the financial prize for the crown, and Gaynor and John Walter Jones for donating the financial prize for the chair. “Thank you very much on behalf of the committee, the Eisteddfod and everyone who has worked so hard here in Cardiff for the past two years.” Both the chair and the crown will be exhibited at National Museum Cardiff from June 12 until August 2. The crowning ceremony takes place on Monday, August 6, at 4.30pm, and the chairing ceremony on Friday, August 10, at 4.30pm. Monday’s ceremony and the day’s activities on the Maes are sponsored by top 100 UK law firm Hugh James. Both ceremonies are held in the Pavilion, which is housed in the Donald Gordon Theatre in the Wales Millennium Centre.
Visitors will need to purchase wristbands for day activities in the Pavilion in the Donald Gordon Theatre and the smaller pavilions dotted around the Wales Millennium Centre.
These can be ordered beforehand or bought on the day, and the aim is to enable us to control the number of people in the centre at any one time, in line with its health and safety requirements.
Entry to the other areas on the Maes, including the other permanent buildings, will be free of charge.
■ Go to www.eistedd fod. wales for more information.