18 minute read
WHAT’S ON Arts, shows and activities, it’s all going on in Cardiff
WHAT’S ON 26 September – 23 October
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HALF TERM GETAWAY The Celtic Manor Resort is family activity central – with two swimming pools, adventure golf, adrenaline-pumping ropes courses, tree-top net adventures, archery, wildlife walks and 2,000 acres to explore and amuse the young and young at heart. Is an October half term adventure calling perhaps? The Celtic Manor; www.celtic-manor.com
You have to be young at heart to enjoy all that The Celtic Manor has to offer
PLAYS / FILM / PERFORMANCES
6 – 11 October
THE IRIS PRIZE Thirty-fi ve international fi lmmakers will compete for £30,000 prize money as the organisers of Cardiff ’s Iris Prize, an LGBT+ Film Festival, have announced the shortlisted fi lms in competition. UK audiences can join in the experience for the fi rst time in the festival’s history by watching all the nominated shorts for free online, ensuring it reaches a wider audience than ever. www.irisprize.org
8 October, then weekly
HEART OF CARDIFF The Sherman Theatre has announced its new audio series Heart of Cardiff , inspired by the people and communities of the city. Following a search across Cardiff for writers with stories to tell about their community, neighbourhood, and heritage – resulting in 100 submissions – 10 pitches were selected to be developed into original audio theatre experiences, which will be made available on the website on a weekly basis. www.shermantheatre.co.uk
13 October and 3, 24 November
SINFONIA Sinfonia Cymru celebrates 25 years with 25 concerts. They will return to live performances in 2021 with these 25 free performances across Wales, but, for now, they’re presenting an online series called In Conversation – a fi rst-hand insight into Sinfonia Cymru’s musicians, artists and friends, which orchestra leader Caroline Pether will host. www.sinfonia.cymru
25 October
BAFTA CYMRU This will be a virtual event for the fi rst time ever, so glad rags and champagne in your living room are perfectly acceptable. The ceremony will honour excellence in broadcasting and production within fi lm and television in Wales and will be hosted by The One Show’s Alex Jones. www.bafta.org/wales ART, PHOTOGRAPHY & EXHIBITIONS
Until 10 October
NEIL CANNING EXHIBITION Neil is an artist synonymous with bold abstraction. He gained early success painting semi-fi gurative landscapes in his native Oxfordshire, before moving to Wales in 1990, and he’s been exhibiting with Martin Tinney Gallery since 1991. This latest exhibition, which may be viewed in the gallery by appointment, is inspired by the impressive scale and sweeping dynamic of the Welsh landscape. Martin Tinney Gallery; www.artwales.com
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MILTON H. GREENE © 2020 JOSHUA GREENE
above: Garn Fawr by Neil Canning, who’s exhibiting at Martin Tinney Gallery left: The Becoming Richard Burton exhibition features the actor’s never-displayedbefore personal objects below: Don’t forget to Wear it Pink on 23 October
SILVER LININGS Wales Millennium Centre has announced its closure until January 2021, but the team is still looking at the positives and is determined to come out stronger on the other side, as Graeme Farrow, the centre’s artistic director, tells us…
“We lost 85 per cent of income overnight when we closed our doors in March until at least January 2021, and that has had huge implications for our staff and all the people we work with.
This crisis, however, has also forced us to consider the type of organisation we want to be when we reopen, to build on plans we have been making with young people, artists and communities. We are working on our longer-term ambitions to collaborate across the arts and cultural sector and beyond to build a more creative, flexible and inclusive vision for the future. This will hopefully also include positive physical adaptations to the building and site.
So, for now, we are focused on ensuring that when we fully reopen, audiences, artists, young people, communities are at the centre of this building. And we will focus on creating work and events that hold onto some of the hopeful things that have come out of this pandemic to connect people and contribute to building a better future for Wales.” www.wmc.org.uk
7 November – 11 April, 2021
BECOMING RICHARD BURTON This exhibition follows the remarkable story of how Richard Jenkins became Richard Burton, the international star of stage and screen. It will feature Burton’s diaries, papers and personal objects – displayed for the first time – from the Richard Burton Archives held at Swansea University. National Museum Cardiff; www.museum.wales
ACTIVITIES
Various dates
CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL WHITE WATER Cardiff International White Water has reopened for pre-booked visitors to enjoy activities such as white water rafting, canoeing, SUP and gorge walking. Customers are asked to arrive dressed ‘paddle ready’ (swimwear worn underneath clothing), so that they can quickly change into the wetsuits provided. Watkiss Way, Cardiff Bay; www.ciww.com FOOD AND DRINK
Until the end of October
STREET FOOD CINEMA Cardiff’s first dedicated drive-in movie and street-food experience has released a new run of movies, including a Halloween horror film festival. Expect to watch movies –such as Saw, Ghostbusters and The Exorcist – from the comfort of your car while food and drink is delivered to your window. Splott Market drive-in; www.streetfoodcinema.co.uk
3, 10 & 17 October
OKTOBERFEST DEPOT will be bringing you the Bavarian Beer Festival Oktoberfest in their fully authentic beer hall. DEPOT 2020; www.depotcardiff.com
4 October
FLOW & FEAST This wholesome seasonal party features Flow (yoga for all levels) and Feast with Penylan Pantry, creatively put together using seasonal organic produce. There will be a large focus on sustainable living with supporting brands like Westlands, Rude Health,
Lululemon, Leaf Envy and more. DEPOT 2020,Williams Way; www.depotcardiff.com OTHER
Until 27 September
WYE VALLEY RIVER FESTIVAL Due to the pandemic, the festivalhas evolved its original plans, with event organisers reimagining the festival so that it can be experienced through podcasts, films, workshops and livestream sessions. www.wyevalleyriverfestival.co.uk
Selected dates from 10 – 31 October
PUMPKIN PICKING Find pick-your-own fun for all the family at Cardiff’s Pumpkin Picking Patch where 55,000 pumpkins in every shape and size grow across a huge 13-acre site. You’ll also find crafts, activities and food and drink. Pumpkin Picking Patch, Culverhouse Cross; www.pickingpatch.com
15 October
WOMEN DISRUPTING The Cardiff-based Warrior Women Collective’s upcoming online event features a panel of women who are disrupting in their own way – from being the first woman to commentate on men’s football to climbing up the ranks of the fire service. www.warriorwomencollective.co.uk
23 October
WEAR IT PINK Breast Cancer Now’s biggest fundraising event Wear it Pink will see people across Cardiff dressing in pink and raising funds for breast cancer research and support.Since 2013, around 390 women in Cardiff and Vale have been diagnosed with breast cancer every year. That’s why the money raised from wear it pink is vital. www.breastcancernow.org
12 November – 23 December
CARDIFF CHRISTMAS MARKET The market has confirmed its return but it’s subject to change due to potential Covid-19 restrictions. www.cardiffchristmasmarket.com
19November – 24 December
LUMINATE A little further afield, but Luminate, the magical light trail, returns this year with tickets now on sale. Margam Country Park; www.luminatewales.com n
top: Let’s give ’em pumpkin to talk about: Cardiff’s pumpkin-picking patch is waiting for you; above: Comedy king Chris Ramsey will be giving all he’s got at St David’s Hall
2021 ANNOUNCEMENTS/ TICKETS ON SALE NOW
14 March, 2021
ANTON AND ERIN – SHOWTIME Join the nation’s favourite ballroom couple, Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag, on their new tour coming for 2021.
Showtime is a glittering celebration that pays tribute to some of the world's greatest icons of entertainment. Expect stunning costumes, fabulous live vocals and a highenergy West End dance ensemble. St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
25 March, 2021
THE SLOW READERS CLUB The band’s fifth studio album, 91 Days in Isolation, which they wrote in lockdown, is out on 23 October, and it won’t be too long until audiences will be able to experience their unmissable live shows once again, with the band set to hit the road for their rescheduled run of UK and European tour dates in spring. The Globe; www.globecardiffmusic.com
24 April, 2021
THE STRANGLERS The final full UK tour In Memory of Dave has been rescheduled to 2021 including a venue change from Cardiff Motorpoint to The Great Hall. The band promises a set that will be covering tracks from their extensive catalogue spanning over 45 years. The Great Hall; www .gigsandtours.com
29 April, 2021
CHRIS RAMSEY His tour should have been starting this month, but Chris Ramsey has rescheduled his biggest ever stand-up tour for next year. St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
12 May, 2021
IDLES A band long revered for the power of their live shows, Idles are one of the most exciting bands around with relentless energy and a huge sound. Passionate, political and darkly comedic, they’re back with their third album, Ultra Mono. Motorpoint Arena; www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk
21 May, 2021
FONTAINES D.C A Hero’s Death by Fontaines D.C has been one of the best-received albums of 2020 so far, debuting at #2 on the UK charts. They’ve recently announced Cardiff as part of a run of Spring 2021 UK tour dates, most of which have which have already sold out. Cardiff Great Hall; www.fontainesdc.com
10 July, 2021
DEPOT IN THE CASTLE After an incredible 2019, the event returns to Cardiff for its fourth year, and 2021 will see some of the biggest acts in the world headline that phenomenal castle stage. The headliner has been announced as Kaiser Chiefs. Cardiff Castle; www.depotcardiff.com
12 October, 2021
ERASURE Erasure (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) are back to celebrate the release of their 18th studio album. Taking inspiration from pop music through the decades, they’ll bring warmth and a brilliant brightness, connecting us to our pasts and our futures, creating beautiful places where our imaginations can roam. Motorpoint Arena; www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk
HEART TO ART
We chat to local artist Nathan Wyburn about his NHS collage – made up of hundreds of headshots of NHS staff – which has made headlines globally By Lisa Evans
If you’re a Cardiff Life fan, you’ll know our columnists Nathan Wyburn and Wayne Courtney (Wyburn & Wayne) pretty well by now. In fact, you don’t even have to be a reader of our magazine; if you live in Cardiff , or anywhere in Wales, or the UK really, you will have likely heard of them. Come to think of it, even people in America would have heard of them. They are, you see, doing amazing things…
If you don’t know that Nathan is one of the most talented, inventive local artists alive, then where have you been? He has been busy during the pandemic working on some incredible pieces to shine a spotlight, thank and celebrate people who went (and who are going) above and beyond to help others. One of those artworks was assembled by using more than 200 photographs of NHS workers. Nathan turned the pictures into a collage of a nurse wearing a protective mask with the words “thank you” underneath – an iconic image that will symbolise the
NHS and the pandemic now and in the future. “I’ve been more
It gathered press all over the country, graced the front inspired than ever covers of newspapers, was placed on ITV This Morning’s to make art that opening credits along with an interview over Skype with boosts moral”
LEFT: A close-up of the NHS collage that delivers a striking and clever bigger picture; ABOVE: Nathan with some of his other incredible portraits
Eamonn and Ruth, and even reached the states, and was spoken about in the New York Post and on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan.
“It’s been an incredibly strange few months,” says Nathan. “Creatively, I feel like I’ve been more inspired than ever to make art that boosts moral and has a message. Probably none more so than the NHS Thank You collage.
“It was inspired by the emotional fi rst Clap for our Carers, and the fact that most of my friends, including Wayne, work for the NHS. I was worried for them, there was so much confusion at the beginning and I felt like my friends were going to war every single day. I wanted to show appreciation in the best way I know how, and that’s via art.”
So how did he create the piece? A Facebook call-out for images of NHS workers meant he was sent over 200 photos to digitally collage into this image. And, as he’s a patron for the Cardiff & Vale Health
Charity, they commissioned it to be printed on a huge scale outside all health sites. “This was such an honour,” says Nathan. “It then got picked up by other health boards and displayed in the same way. We then put it on T-shirts and hoodies and raised thousands to give back to the charity.”
Along with the NHS artwork, amidst the pandemic he created a tribute to Colonel Tom Moore – the centenarian who single-handedly raised £33m for NHS charities. Inspired by the Colonel’s walking feat, Nathan walked in paint and used the footprints of his trainers to create a huge portrait.
Nathan also celebrated the work of Marcus Rashford and his free school meals campaign by collaging a likeness of him which was made up of collaged images of children who benefit from the scheme. n
To keep up to date with the Radio Cardiff DJs Wyburn & Wayne follow them on Facebook, Twitter @WyburnWayne and Instagram @wyburnandwayne
Nathan’s fingerpainted portrait of Gareth Thomas hopes to help erase the stigma surrounding HIV
above: Nathan’s artistic mediums include coffee, marmite and burnt toast; left: The scale of the NHS artwork can be seen here
AN OPEN BOOK Nathan’s new book called POP tART is a celebration of a decade of his artwork, including images and quotes from the likes of Dame Shirley Bassey, Mariah Carey and Prince Charles, and all those unusual resources he uses to create art, including Marmite, Pizza, lipstick kisses and Caviar. You can buy Nathan’s book from www. nathanwyburnstore.com
As a frontline worker at the Heath Hospital, Wayne (the other half of Wyburn & Wayne, and pictured in Nathan’s NHS artwork) contracted coronavirus in the early stages of the pandemic. Here he shares his experience…
“2020 started off so well. Plans were made, holidays booked and there were exciting projects to look forward to. How things changed. By the time Covid-19 reached our shores we had already seen the devastating impact it had on other countries. I work in the Heath Hospital UHW on an acute stroke ward and we knew that the spread of the virus was about to affect us all in healthcare.
“Our NHS trust in Cardiff went to extraordinary measures to make the hospitals as safe as possible and to accommodate many more patients. But the fear of going to work during the first few weeks of the pandemic was indescribable. Our usual busy hospital was now deserted and warning signs hung on every door and wall.
“I was one of the first members of staff to contract the virus, soon many more would get it. Unfortunately, I’m asthmatic and it affected my breathing, but nothing was scarier than the thought that I may have passed it on to a friend, colleague or family member.
“Phoning my mother to tell her I had tested positive was particularly tough because it was at the start of the pandemic and the news was focused on the death toll and not the recoveries. It took five weeks to fully recover and I was keen to get back to work; I have never been prouder to be part of the NHS. Watching colleagues get sick was tough and a constant worry but the teamwork was exceptional.
“We saw great support from our communities, and Nathan’s artwork really lifted spirits. To be part of a piece of art recognised worldwide was a real honour, and the way people responded to it really made us all feel appreciated.”
#CARDIFF TOGETHER GREG INGHAM
After the Great Pause…
Reality has been outsourced and today’s heresies are tomorrow’s orthodoxies. So how have we been changed? What might change further from here? Our chief exec GREG INGHAM offers his take on the pandemic…
In the worst of times, people show their best. We should be proud of this city. It’s been touching to see the good that people and organisations have been doing.
How much will endure, we cannot know. But the world of Cardiff has seemed a better place in these continuingly-weird tough times – one of the many paradoxes of the pandemic.
Here’s my take on what’s been happening:
1LOCKDOWN MADE EVERYTHING LOCAL We’ve fallen in love anew with this city; wandered its locales unhurriedly, had our thoughts washed by serenity, beauty.
There is limitless fascination in the free beauty of vistas, of parks, of the palimpsest of forgotten layered histories inked with obscure buildings, odd nooks, quirky remnants.
Park the outside world, the national world: this inspirational place buoys the soul, rewards us, makes us feel so fortunate to live or work or play here. We have been bequeathed grandeur from centuries-back, enduring creativity paid forwards.
As we start afresh, remember the joys of experiencing Cardiff on foot.
Don’t forget that spring sensation. Make it a lasting holiday romance, a love affair with this city.
And those love letters to our city need writing – and we will, issue in, issue out with Cardiff Life
2VENERATE THE INDIES We’ve learned to appreciate yet more the distinctive, thoughtful offerings of our indies as they’ve supported others or cleverly pivoted to new ways, responding with ingenuity, humanity and plain decency.
Our trust is better granted locally – in people and places we know, we can evaluate directly.
The big shift is under-way towards re-evaluating and re-discovering our communities, friendships and the importance of our cities to us. We’re all responsible. Local responsibility, local living, local eating, buying, exploring, enjoying – with shared experiences increasingly mattering much more than physical products.
3HERE COMES THE HYPERLOCAL People working from home will be buying more from shops, cafés, restaurants within a 10-minute walk of where they live. It’s hyperlocal time.
There will be fewer days in the office. Not just short term, but permanently. Many like working
from home: lunchtime walking distances will matter more.
4THE GREAT PAUSE IS ALSO THE GREAT ACCELERATOR Another paradox: this time of contemplation, of monastic slowness has also seen rapid change.
How we work (much more distributed, infinitely more trusted), greater sense of purpose, of better health, interest in local provenance, increased trust in local and regional brands Vs national, better regard for the value of family and friendships, deeper regard for care workers and teachers and greater green/ climate emergency awareness.
Multiple changes, at least short term but potentially profoundly. Let the Great Pause also be the Great Accelerator.
5THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, NOW Expect a surge of home improvements as our homes have been over-lived in and perhaps over-scrutinised.
Paradox: our homes will become havens once more, our personal worlds of interiors. Yet we will also develop a better accommodation with working from home.
Just as nature has been busy reclaiming swathes of cityscapes in lockdown, so domesticity will reclaim our hybrid working homes. Spruce-ups, improvements, new designs, new aestheticisms.
Or a reworking to allow better home-working. Or even a move to places with more space, trading longer commutes from outlying villages and towns for fewer days travelling to that quaint twentieth century legacy construct, an “office”.
6FURTHER APART YET CLOSER STILL Another paradox of the pandemic is that we have never been further apart yet closer together. That’s due to technology. We’ve all seen inside homes we wouldn’t have entered, all know more about more people.
But it’s also because in our otherwise atomised world, we have all shared the same existential experience – all been in the same storm albeit in different boats.
7THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN This has been a tough time. But this too shall pass.
Enduring good can come out of these unimagined, unchartered experiences which we’ve all been facing, personally and of course professionally.
This Great Pause may not usher in all of the hoped-for caring, softer, more thoughtful, decent society. But it will change us, and has already.
Let’s take our learnings from these times. Let’s try to emerge as better people…
Idealistic? Sure! But what positive change has ever happened without first having hope?
#CardiffTogether – always…
