‘Culture’s in the everyday so get behind city title bid’
His portrayal of Swansea in the black comedy Twin Town may not have depicted the city as a hotspot for high culture.
But the film’s director, Kevin Allen, has stepped out from behind the cameras to star in a short film which has been produced to garner support for the city’s bid to become UK City of Culture in 2021.
The short film will be used as part of the bid’s Swansea Is Culture social media campaign and features him at some of his favourite city haunts, including the Espresso Café made famous by the 1997 cult classic.
The campaign, which went live yesterday on the Swansea2021 Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, will celebrate Swansea’s pioneers of culture and unsung individuals and communities throughout the city who have built the city’s heritage from generation to generation.
Over the next two weeks the Swansea Is Culture campaign will feature some lesser-known characters, as well as the better-known faces in an attempt to demonstrate that everyone is important to the interpretation of culture.
Mr Allen explains that culture isn’t necessarily a lofty concept – it is of the streets and it is part of the fabric of people’s daily lives.
He said: “Culture is a scary word to some people. Some think the word ‘culture’ only relates to art galleries and poetry. But nothing could be further from the truth.
“Karaoke is culture, skateboarding is culture, fashion is culture, coasteering is culture, allotments are culture, singing in the shower is culture – when I made my first feature film, Twin Town, joyriding was culture.
“I am proud to get behind Swansea’s bid for the UK City of Culture 2021.
“I’m inviting everyone in our city to help us interpret what culture means to them. We have a fantastic opportunity to bring our wonderful city to a global stage. We certainly have the talent, we have the vision and we have the know-how. And most importantly, we have the people.
“Dylan Thomas called Swansea an ‘ugly, lovely town’. Twin Town called it a ‘pretty sh**ty city’. I’m sure many people have their own names for this wonderful, diverse and sometimes frustrating city by the sea. But above all, Swansea is real. Swansea is culture.
“So we are inviting Swansea people to get in touch and to have their say by following our Facebook page – Swansea2021 – and telling us what culture means to them.”
Swansea’s bid, which goes up against one from micro-city St David’s, Pembrokeshire, is being led by Swansea Council, with the backing of local organisations including arts and cultural organisations, voluntary groups, Swansea City, Swansea BID, Swansea University and the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD).
Swansea Council’s head of cultural services, Tracey McNulty, joined the council after the city narrowly missed out on the UK City of Culture 2017 title to Hull.
She said: “This campaign is a call to action for the people of Swansea and everyone who has ever visited, lived, worked or studied here – plus our neighbours – to get behind our bid, because with everyone’s support we can win this and the impact will be felt right across the region and Wales.
“Often the perception of culture is quite narrow and, perhaps, quite highbrow, and we do want to celebrate talent and showcase those who have worked hard to build their skills, knowledge and abilities in the arts, live music, sports, science, history, but culture is also about the things we do in our everyday lives here in Swansea.
“Swansea Is Culture is all about celebrating those different people and perspectives that collectively make Swansea what it is today and showcase the best of what we have to the world.
“Culture comes in all shapes and sizes and we believe we have it in bucketloads here in Swansea, that’s why we are confident we could be the next UK City of Culture. Why not?”
Tracey added: “The whole city must get behind this, not only because of the economic wealth it will generate, but because of the difference it will make to Swansea and Wales and our future generations.”
The initial bid is due for submission on April 28, after which the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport will draw up a shortlist. Final bids will then be submitted by the end of September, with a winner set to be announced in Hull this December.
Eleven towns and cities have announced they will vie for the prestigious prize, which includes a oneoff grant of £3m for the winner. Coventry, Hereford, Paisley, Perth, Stoke, Sunderland, Warrington, Portsmouth and Wells join St David’s and Swansea in the battle.