Frontiers - Edgelands in North Wales

FRONTIERS

Edgelands in North Wales

A collaboration between the Royal Photographic Society and the North Wales Photographic Association

Preface

There is this urge to photograph the sublime and to create an iconic image. Yet we find ourselves surrounded by the everyday ordinary and the often overlooked. What stops us from photographing the mundane? Our perception of aesthetics and beauty, to which the ordinary often does not conform? Or the sheer lack of interest in the subject matter which we deem not worth photographing?

These were my musings when I designed “Project Frontiers” in early 2020. Reading the books ‘Remaking the landscape - The changing face of Britain’ 1) and ‘EdgelandsJourneys into England’s True Wilderness’ 2) informed the choice of topic for the project: edgelands. These transition zones, this land in-between, might not appeal to a traditional perception of beauty, but they often fulfil vital functions to our society. This defined the first objective of the project: to photograph the overlooked on the fringes of urbanised areas.

Edgelands are everywhere, and this ties in with the second objective: to photograph in the vicinity where we live and work, photographically explore our immediate surroundings, and thereby keeping the carbon footprint for this photo project as low as possible.

Photography should be more than just a technical medium to record a likeness. Taking and making pictures can be a way of expressing ourselves, to visualise memories, thoughts, concepts and emotions. It is here to tell our own story with our own images. It is personal. The choice of subject matter, the perspective, the rendition, the mood conveyed in the images, all this is a readout of the photographer’s personality. Or as Richard Misrach said: “It occurred to me that all photography is interpretation. Its primary illusion is realism, but ultimately it only uses real elements for expression”. 3) This then defined the third objective: to make this project a unique and personal account on what we see, and how we visualise our response to the edgeland.

Working on a photographic project over several months might be new to many photographers and can be a daunting undertaking. Through a mentor scheme we sought to achieve yet another objective: to guide and encourage photographers with different photographic backgrounds and skill levels to step out of their comfort zone, work on a photographic project and theme new to many, engage with each other and build a community.

An important aspect was to nurture a growth mindset, expanding the personal boundaries, stepping beyond our personal frontier and grow resilience in overcoming obstacles and setbacks.

We also wanted to transgress the invisible boundaries between photographic organisations, and so we teamed up with the North Wales Photographic Federation (NWPA). This collaboration not only allowed us to reach a wider audience but also to increase the diversity of photographic voices and visualisations.

This project and the resulting photo book is the product of teamwork and would not have been possible without the support of all mentors and participants involved. The pandemic and the workload in our day jobs led to several delays, but finally we persevered.

Special thanks goes to the North Wales Photographic Association and its leading exponents Ian O’Neill as President and Terry Mills as Secretary, who wholeheartedly embraced this collaboration and supported it financially and in organisational matters.

Special thanks goes to the mentors Angharad Bache, Andy Polakowski and Gareth Jenkins who led their groups, engaged with, guided and encouraged the participants.

And of course I would like to thank all participants who engaged and immersed themselves in the project, who went out for walks with their camera, who all persevered in their own personal ways, have seen their project through to the end, and share their experience of, and personal take on edgelands with us.

Rolf Kraehenbuehl ARPS Royal Photographic Society Regional Organiser North Wales

Rhagair

Mae yna ysfa i dynnu lluniau o’r arddunol ac i greu delwedd eiconig. Ac eto, rydym wedi ein hamgylchyny gan bethau cyffredin, beunyddiol a pethau sy’n cael eu hanwybyddu yn aml. Beth yw’r rhwystr rhag tynnu lluniau o’r gyffredin? Ein canfyddiad o estheteg a harddwch, a phrin mae’r cyffredin yn cydymffurfio a hwy? Neu’r diffyg diddordeb yn y pwnc, a’r meddylfryd nad yw’n werth tynnu eu lun yn ein barn ni?

Dyma’r oeddwn i yn synfyfyrio pan wnes i gynllunio “Project Frontiers” yn gynnar yn 2020. Roedd darllen y llyfrau ‘Remaking the landscape - The changing face of Britain’ 1) ac ‘Edgelands - Journeys into England’s True Wilderness’ 2) yn llywio’r dewis o destun ar gyfer y prosiect: ymyl-diroedd. Efallai na fydd y parthau trawsnewid hyn, y tiroedd rhwng, yn apelio at ganfyddiad traddodiadol o harddwch, ond maent yn aml yn cyflawni swyddogaethau hanfodol i’n cymdeithas. Diffiniodd hyn amcan cyntaf y prosiect: tynnu lluniau o’r hyn sy’n cael eu hanwybyddu ar gyrion ardaloedd trefol.

Mae ymyl-diroedd ym mhobman, ac mae hyn yn cyd-fynd â’r ail amcan: i dynnu lluniau yn yr ardal lle rydym yn byw ac yn gweithio, I archwilio mewn ffordd ffotograffig ein hamgylchedd uniongyrchol, a thrwy hynny gadw ôl troed carbon y prosiect hwn mor isel â phosib.

Dylai ffotograffiaeth fod yn fwy na chyfrwng technegol i gofnodi llun. Gall tynnu a gwneud lluniau fod yn ffordd o fynegi ein hunain, i ddelweddu atgofion, meddyliau, cysyniadau ac emosiynau. Maent yma i adrodd ein stori ein hunain gyda’n delweddau ein hunain. Mae’n bersonol. Y dewis o destun, y persbectif, y dehongliad, y naws a gyfleir yn y delweddau, mae’r rhain i gyd yn ailddarlleniad o bersonoliaeth y ffotograffydd. Neu fel y dywedodd Richard Misrach: “Fe ddigwyddodd i mi mai dehongliad yw y holl o ffotograffiaeth. Ei rhith sylfaenol yw realaeth, ond yn y pen draw dim ond defnyddio elfennau gwirioneddol ar gyfer fynegiant y mae”. 3) Roedd hwn wedyn yn diffinio’r trydydd amcan: gwneud y prosiect hwn yn adroddiad unigryw a phersonol o’r hyn a welwn, a sut yr ydym yn darlunio ein hymateb i ymyl-diroedd.

Gallai gweithio ar brosiect ffotograffig dros nifer o fisoedd fod yn newydd i lawer o ffotograffwyr, a gall fod yn dasg frawchys. Trwy gynllun mentor fe wnaethom geisio cyflawni amcan arall eto: arwain ac annog ffotograffwyr gyda gwahanol lefelau o sgiliau a chefndiroedd ffotograffig i gamu allan o’u cysyrfan, a gweithio ar brosiect (a thema) newydd i lawer, I ymgysylltu â’i gilydd, ac adeiladu cymuned. Agwedd bwysig oedd meithrin meddylfryd o dyfiant, ehangu ffiniau personol, I gamu y tu hwnt i’n ffiniau personol a thyfu gwytnwch wrth oresgyn rhwystrau ac anawsterau.

Roeddem hefyd am trawsgamu ffiniau anweledig rhwng sefydliadau ffotograffigac oherwydd hyn fe wnaethom ymuno â Chymdeithas Ffotograffig Gogledd Cymru (CFfGC). Roedd y cydweithio hwn nid yn unig yn caniatáu i ni gyrraedd cynulleidfa ehangach ond i gynnyddu amrywiaeth lleisiau a delweddau ffotograffig.

Mae’r prosiect hwn, a’r llyfr ffoto dilynol, yn gynnyrch cydweithrediadna fyddai wedi bod yn bosib heb gefnogaeth yr holl fentoriaid a chyfranogwyr. Arweiniodd y pandemig, a llwyth gwaith dydd i ddydd at sawl oediad; ond o’r diwedd fe wnaethom ddyfalbarhau.

Mae diolch arbennig yn mynd i Gymdeithas Ffotograffig Gogledd Cymru a’i ddehonglwyr blaenllaw Ian O’Neill y Llywydd a Terry Mills yr Ysgrifennydd, a wnaethant gofleidio y cydweithio hwn yn llwyr a’i gefnogi’n ariannol ac mewn materion trefniadol.

Diolch yn arbennig i’r mentoriaid Angharad Bache, Andy Polakowski a Gareth Jenkins a fu’n arwain eu grwpiau o ffotograffwyr, ac yn ymgysylltu â’r cyfranogwyr, eu harwain a’u hannog.

Ac wrth gwrs hoffwn ddiolch i’r holl gyfranogwyr a ymgymerod ac a ymgysylltodd ac lwyr ymdrwythodd yn y prosiect, ac aeth allan am dro gyda’u camerâu, sydd oll wedi dyfalbarhau yn eu ffyrdd personol eu hunain, wedi gweld eu prosiect hyd at y diwedd, ac yn rhannu eu profiad o, ac eu barn personol ar ymyl-diroedd gyda ni.

Rolf Kraehenbuehl ARPS

Cymdeithas Ffotograffic Brenhinol Trefnydd Rhanbarthol Gogledd Cymru

Cyflwyniad Ffinniau

Ar ran Cymeithas Ffotograffiaeth Gogledd Cymru hoffwn ddiolch i Rolf am i ni gael y cyfle o cydweithio hefo rhanbarth gogledd cymru o’r Gymdeithas Ffotograffiaeth Brenhinol (R.P.S.) ar y fenter wych hon.

Uchafbwynt y’w y llyfr o weledigaeth penerfynnol a brwdfrydig Rolf. Rhaid hefyd cymrandwyo y ffotograffwyr sydd wedi cyfranu i’r cydoeddiad, i’r rhai a fu yn gefnogwyr a mentoriaid ac i drefnwyr y brosiect.

Fel rheol bydd ffotograffwyr clybiau yn cannolbwyntio ar luniau i’w cynwys mewn cystadlethau, arddangosfeydd ac at dderbyn anrhydeddion. Yn gyffredinol derbynir fod y ffordd yma yn anog gwaith o safon uchel. Ond cydnabwn hefyd fod rhaid arlwyo at fathau eraill o diddordebau ffotograffiaeth fel dogfennol, arbrofiadol a phrosiectiau.

Wrth ymuno gyda’r G.FF.B. (R.P.S.) mewn menterau fel hon rhown y cyfle in holl aelodau gael platform i fedru hyrwyddo ei diddordeb personnol ei hunain.

Mae dros 20 o glybiau ffotograffiaeth sydd yn gysylltiedig ir C.Ff.G.C (NWPA) ar draws gogledd Cymru, gyda o ddeutu i 600 o aelodau unigol.

Os ydych yn mwynhau ffotograffiaeth ac y dymunwch ranu eich diddordebau gyda pobol or unanian, erfynaf arnoch i ymuno a ni. Mae ein haelodaeth yn amrywiol gyda arbenigwyr eang a fyddai yn medru bod o gymorth i chwi a’ch diddordeb ac fe fuasem ninnau yn ddiolchgar o’ch cyfraind a gwybodaeth chwithau hefyd.

Boed i chi eisiau creu celf, tynnu lluniau o’r byd och amgylch neu dim ond gwneud record or plant yn tyfu fynnu, gall ffotograffiaeth fod yn weithgaredd cymdeithasol a bodlon. A mwy na hyn - yn HWYL!

Dewch i ni obeithio y cawn y cyfle i wneud hyn eto.

Ian O’Neill Llywydd y GFfGC

Foreword

On behalf of the North Wales Photographic Association (NWPA), I would like to thank Rolf for this opportunity to work with the Royal Photographic Society (North Wales Region) on this great initiative.

This book is the culmination of Rolf’s vision, determination and enthusiasm. We must also commend the photographers who have contributed to this publication and the support of the mentors and organisers of the project. Between them they have produced an insightful set of images and we can be proud of the final result.

In the normal course of events, club photography tends to concentrate on competition, exhibition and distinctions. It is generally accepted that this approach stimulates high quality work. But we also acknowledge that we have to cater for other areas of interest such as documentary, experimental and project photography. Joining forces with the RPS on ventures like this gives all our members another platform on which they can promote their interest.

The NWPA has over 20 affiliated clubs across North Wales with about 800 individual members. If you enjoy photography and would like to share your interest with like-minded people I would urge you to join us. We have a diverse membership with a wide range of expertise who can help support you and your hobby and we would welcome your contribution and knowledge too. Whether you want to make art, capture the world around you or just keep a record of the kids growing up, photography can be a rewarding, social activity. More than that – it can be fun! Let us hope we can do this again.

Ian O’Neill President NWPA

Rhagarweiniad

Wrth ystyried y dehongliad o’r term ‘tirwedd’, prin y gallwn osgoi sylwi ein bod yn aml yn cysylltu’r gair a’r cysyniad o ‘dirwedd’ â’r darluniadol, y bugeiliol neu hyd yn oed yr arddunol. Fodd bynnag, os ydym yn deall ‘tirwedd’ mewn ystyr ehangach, yna gall gynnwys llawer mwy, hyd yn oed yr amgylchedd adeiledig.

Yn y bôn, tir sydd wedi’i dirlunio mewn ffordd arbennig yw tir adeiledig. Mewn rhai achosion mae eglwysi cadeiriol hardd, wedi eu hamgylchynu gan strydoedd coblog, wedi eu adeiladu ar y tir hwn; mewn achosion eraill, ardaloedd preswyl ac ystadau tai; ac weithiau cyfleusterau storio, parciau busnes, gweithfeydd trin dŵr gwastraff, neu iardiau sgrap ydyn nhw.

Mae’r tirweddau hyn yn aml wedi’u lleoli ar gyrion ardaloedd mwy poblog, wedi’u gwahanu rhwng y datblygiad trefol a chefn gwlad. Maent yn ororau, yn ryngwynebau, ac yn ffurfio parthau trawsnewidiol a ffinau cyffelyb. Weithiau fe’u gelwir hefyd yn ardaloedd “agos-drefol”, “ardaloedd ymylol”, “tiroedd ffiniol”, ac yn Saesneg “rurban” neu “edgelands”, ac yn sicr maent yn dangos nodweddion unigryw 1,2). Mae yna reolau caniatâd cynllunio gwahanol, mae prisiau tir yn wahanol iawn i’r lefelau prisiau yng nghanol trefi a dinasoedd, ac yn amlach na pheidio mae’r adeiladau a godir yn gwbl weithredol ac unai yn brin o estheteg, neu’n arddangos eu hestheteg unigryw eu hunain.

Serch hynny, mae’r ffiniau a’r ymyl-diroedd hyn, a’r ffordd yr ydym yn eu defnyddio, yn aml yn hanfodol ar gyfer yr aneddiadau ag y maent yn gysylltiedig; ond gallant hefyd fod yn ddadleuol ac yn ymleddir. Er y gallent un ai fod o werth hanesyddol neu beidio, mae rhai ymyl-diroedd er syndod, yn gallu darparu gwerth ecolegol.

Mae’r lleoedd hyn yn ddrych i’n cymdeithas, ac felly yn hytrach na chau ein llygaid atynt, dylem eu harchwilio a cheisio eu deall, yn penodol trwy ddull ffotograffig. Dylem annog ein hunain i ymdrin â’r tirweddau yr ydym fel arfer yn dueddol o’u hystyried fel rhai nad ydynt yn deilwng o gael eu llun wedi eu tynnu. I ddefnyddio geiriau Jesse Alexander: “Nid y tir sy’n gwneud y dirwedd o reidrwydd, ond sut mae’r ffotograffydd yn dynesu at, yn gweithio gyda, ac yn cyflwyno’r ffotograff gorffenedig, dyna lle mae’r celfyddyd yn gorwedd.” 4)

Ac i ddyfynnu J. Alexander unwaith eto: “Nid yw’r posibiliadau ar gyfer testun tirwedd wedi’u cyfyngu i ba mor bell y gallwch chi deithio’n ddaearyddol, ond yn hytrach gan faint ohonoch chi’ch hun rydych chi’n fodlon buddsoddi yn eich ffotograffau.” 4)

Rolf Kraehenbuehl Chwefror 2022

Introduction

Contemplating the interpretation of the term ‘landscape’ we can hardly avoid noticing that we often associate the word and concept of ‘landscape’ with the picturesque, the pastoral or even the sublime. However, if we understand ‘landscape’ in a broader sense, then it can include much more, even the built environment. The built up land is basically land which has been landscaped in a particular way. In some cases beautiful cathedrals, surrounded by cobbled streets, have been built on this land; in other cases it is residential areas and housing estates; and sometimes it is storage facilities, business parks, waste water treatment plants, or scrapyards.

These landscapes are often located at the periphery of more densely populated areas, wedged between the urban development and the countryside. They are frontier land, an interface, and form transition zones and boundaries alike. They are sometimes also termed “peri-urban” areas, “fringelands”, “rurban” areas or “edgelands”, and display unique characteristics 1,2). Different planning permission rules apply, land prices differ markedly to the price levels in the town and city centres, and the erected buildings are more often than not purely functional and either lack or display their own unique aesthetics.

Nevertheless, these frontier- and edgelands, and the way we use them, are often vital for the settlements they are attached to; but they may also be controversial and contested. While they may or may not have historical value, some edgelands surprisingly provide ecological value.

These places are a mirror for our society, and so rather than close our eyes to them, we should explore and try to understand them, not least through photography. We should encourage ourselves to photographically approach landscapes we are usually inclined to regard as not worthy to be photographed. To say it with the words of Jesse Alexander: “It is not necessarily the land that makes the landscape, but how the photographer approaches, works with, and presents the finished photograph wherein the artistry lies.” 4)

And to quote J. Alexander once more: “The possibilities for landscape subject matter are not limited to how far you can travel geographically, but rather by how much of yourself you are willing to invest in your photographs.” 4)

Rolf Kraehenbuehl February 2022

Photographers

Sue Clark

Saul Huck

John Clark

Linda Clare

Craig Howe

John Staten

Robert Cain

Gareth Eckley

Marina Barber

Neil Johansson

Susan Blagden

Yvonne Griffiths

Penny Dewhurst

Angharad Bache

Andy Polakowski

Patricia Corderey

Daniel Muckle-Jones

Sue Clark

The seaside resort town of Prestatyn lies between the sea and a steep limestone escarpment extending to neighbouring villages of Meliden and Dyserth.

Limestone was quarried for 700 years from the 13th century and lead was mined from Roman times until the late 1800s, with products exported by sea from Prestatyn.

Mechanisation in the industrial revolution increased production and railways for transport.

Today, wind and fossil fuels generate power out at sea. Evidence of the industrial past is disappearing, reclaimed by nature, but commemorated by building restorations, railway line conversion to a walkway and installation of a Roman helmet sculpture.

Saul Huck

No-Man’s Land.

In nature I find peace, beauty and freedom; civilisation is home, fulfilment and security. Between the two exists a mysterious front; an iron-curtain of barbed-wire and brambles, concrete and rock.

Civilisation invades nature; diminishing it, threatening it and polluting it. Nature retakes any territory left by man, breaking it, recolonising it and devouring it. The Edgeland can be a zone of tension.

Nature is susceptible to destruction by mankind but civilisation is fleeting. Nature will quickly return to no-man’s-land and re-assert itself. My images seek to show how civilisation is subject to decay and how nature, when allowed, can overcome.

Slate spoil, Dinorwig

Punctured Pond, Cwm Eigiau

Bailing No Use, Cors Ddyga

Broken Spectacle, Dinorwig

On Edge, Dinorwig

John Clark

Prestatyn’s historical features.

King Offa’s dyke defined the contested Welsh border about 780 AD; Prestatyn celebrates the eponymous path.

In 1167 Owain Gwynedd destroyed Henry II’s castle which protected the trade route to Chester.

Domesday Book’s White Spring still feeds the pond, stone lined to prevent soil staining the soaking flax by Flemish linen weavers, all slaughtered by Owain Glyndwr in 1407.

In 1841 the Telegraph and Coastguard Station was built to advise Liverpool of approaching ships and a cannon warned the Talacre Lifeboat of coastal crises.

RAF Prestatyn, a WW2 radar station, became a Cold War early warning system (decommissioned 1958).

No sign of Offa’s Dyke for miles

Prestatyn Castle built Robert Banastre 1165 - destroyed Owain Gwynedd 1167

Domesday spring, Nant Mill and flax retting pond

Voel Nant Telegraph 1841

Former radar station

Linda Clare

Roads to (No)where?

The edgelands of my nearby town are gradually expanding outwards, with a recently-completed link road creating a new frontier. While this could set limits on urban encroachment, it already seems permeable, with signals of further development beyond the road.

By documenting these signals, I aim to highlight how their presence implicitly primes us to accept what can seem inevitable.

I focus in particular on ‘roads to nowhere’: the dead-end roundabout and carriageway exits pointing into fields and countryside, harbingers of coming industrialisation – unless we learn to take care of our environment and reduce our obsession with growth before it is too late.

Craig Howe

Edgebound.

The edgelands alongside the A55 Expressway near Conwy are composed of three primary components – man-made structures, nature, and humanity.

They are bound within this landscape, whether deliberately or accidentally, inevitably or surprisingly, boldly or subtly, and each in turn dominates the space.

These images reveal the juxtaposition and interplay of these edgebound elements, exposing how they influence the complex reality of these industrial, transitional, residential and natural habitats.

The edgelands are created and dictated by structural imposition, but the edgebound make their own mark, for employment, for protection, for disposal, whilst nature interminably seeks to reclaim where it once prevailed unchallenged.

John Staten

Playing Out.

Like Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts, the authors of the book “Edgelands”, I too grew up on the outskirts of a large British city. Their description of a childhood spent exploring these frontier places resonated with me.

These were the landscapes that I played in when young, looking for abandoned treasures. Now I am hunting for treasures again, this time with a camera.

Wider views can give an impression of these sometimes surreal looking places but I am also looking for intimate scenes. Found objects, shot where they lie. In a child’s imagination these can be almost anything.

Robert Cain

Margins.

My initial mission statement was to try to show how the edgelands co-existed between the town and the countryside, and what effect they have on each other.

However, after several visits it became apparent that, although they co-existed, they had their own distinctive character.

The edgelands themselves had their own character and raw industrial beauty, and I was drawn into documenting, what is to me, that beauty.

Gareth Eckley

Penmaen Head Quarry.

The North Wales seaside of Colwyn Bay leads to Penmaen Head Quarry. Heavily industrialized since the construction of the A55, it finds an equilibrium with its natural surroundings.

The concrete shapes or “dolos” placed along the coast to protect the new road from coastal erosion, a shift in focus from developing industry to preserving the surrounding area.

The rainbow bridge, so called for its shape not its colour, is a concrete representation of a natural phenomenon and an ironic monument to this delicate balance.

An Edgeland, of industry and nature, land and sea, past and future.

Marina Barber

The Bland Comes Alive.

I discovered structures that appeared as the forgotten ones hidden from plain sight. Blending in with nature waiting for their light to shine.

A windswept moor where the lone tower stands.

The hammock left to the elements with the graves for company.

And who is that? He who wears a mask and is hiding from the world.

An angel covered in vines but still commands presence.

A power house amidst the farmland.

And all of these nondescript subjects are given a small stage to be seen and to be interpreted by their unseen audience.

Neil Johansson

Borderlands.

For a long time I’ve been fascinated by industrial landscapes and overgrown wastelands, and I felt this was a golden opportunity to go back to something really interesting to me. I have taken various images of Deeside, but mostly through the train window with my mobile phone. I wanted to get a closer look.

Inspiration has come from various sources but the main influence is Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker.

Capturing atmosphere and mood were the priority, rather than technical precision. I aimed to capture images with a cinematic quality as well as documenting an overlooked area.

Wild Territory

Lost Coast

Tunnel

Route Kanal

Iron Forest

Susan Blagden

I was intrigued by the project title! I was drawn to this site because much of this space has been derelict for years. Before the castle was built there was a freedom of easy movement between home and sources of food: fish from the rivers Gyffin and Conwy, and fruit from the ancient orchard.

Now the towering, imposing walls create a massive frontier, forcing people to ignore the flow of the river, to literally overlook a very wide variety of plants, insects, and birds.

It is the photographer who pays attention and shows us what we neglect.

Conwy Castle and the wasteland

Conwy Castle and the overlook orchard

Tiles of neglect

Steps to nowhere

Back in the flow of life

Yvonne Griffiths

Gwynedd Archaeological Trust had been asked by Adra to survey the edgelands of Rachub, Snowdonia, prior to the development of social housing. Archaeologists discovered Roman artefacts and Iron Age dwellings.

My aim was to capture where old meets new, the historic site against the backdrop of modern housing.

However, as I became more familiar with the Archaeologists, I became increasingly interested in observing their work: their physical strength and stamina; powers of concentration and patience in recording minute details; their passion for archaeology, to discover the story of the site.

I feel privileged to have had an insight into their unique world, thank you.

Penny Dewhurst

Blot on the Landscape.

In 2014 Ofgem commissioned the Visual Impact Provision (VIP) project which looked at the negative impact pylons had in areas of outstanding natural beauty in the UK. 10 over the Dwyryd estuary in Gwynedd were considered one of the most intrusive lines, and as a result are to be replaced by a tunnel under the estuary.

These photos record the impact those pylons have on their surroundings and demonstrate support for the decision to demolish them. It also shows hope - knowing lessons have been learned, and more consideration may be given to the placing of them in the future.

Angharad Bache

The End of the Line.

The seaside town of Aberystwyth is home to twelve thousand residents, nine thousand students, and what feels like one million seagulls.

Many hail the small but mighty town as the cultural capital of Wales, but the High Street is suffering as the storms are still raging.

The dilapidated buildings are left uncared for by landlords, and no one complains because they are still more in rent than we can afford.

We are the town connected with everywhere, but without intervention the town’s future is being left quite bare.

Andy Polakowski

One Vanishing Point, Many Perspectives.

The Alyn Valley to the south east of Mold opens out into pasture land which is dominated visually by the 95 metre high tower of a cement works. The impact of this varies according to the weather, time of day and quality of light, its existence now being taken for granted if not quite forgotten.

My interpretation of this subject is to explore the multitude of viewpoints that this provides, some of which come as a surprise, especially from the built environment; this amplifies the irony that the cement works actually provides the material fundamental to urban development: cement.

From Pen yr Allt

From Penyffordd

From Leeswood

From Buckley

From Mold Bypass

Patricia Cordery

New Beginnings.

One can think of the redevelopment of this site at the edge of the town of Porthmadog as a ‘New Beginning’.

My project looks at the effect this new build has on its surroundings. The positioning and influence it has when arriving into Porthmadog from an easterly direction. ‘Its impact upon the town.’

As a margin land structure it is a ‘welcome’ to the town in several ways, but its influence on the rest of the town has been kept to a minimum.

Daniel Muckle-Jones

The Northern Link Road.

Ruthin is a historic market town which has many fine medieval buildings. On its northern edge a link road has been built to bypass the town centre, which is unsuitable for today’s large freight lorries. It gives access to an industrial estate and a modern housing development, the Glasdir estate, which contrast vividly with the town’s centre.

During the pandemic I have spent many hours walking around this road and its surrounding areas. I have concentrated my investigation of the margin lands of Ruthin on what I see when exploring the areas adjacent to its Northern Link Road.

Glasdir Estate

Feral cats take over recycling park after closing

Containers

Preparing for winter

Tyres

Andy Polakowski AWPF BPE5* DPAGB EFIAP/g GPU-Cr2 HonNWPA APAGB

A long-time member of Mold Camera Club and the Eryri Photo Group in North Wales my current photographic interests lie primarily in National and International Salons and Exhibitions - these ensure a continuous production of images informed by contemporary techniques and themes, ranging from Nature to Unreality. My personal projects concern unrepeatable realities that conform to my concept of UltraBanality, using those momentary forms to depict quiet dramas through this boundaried and repetitive practice.

Angharad Bache

I am a landscape and portrait photographer based in Aberystwyth on the west coast of Wales. I am currently working on an MA at Falmouth University, and have been lucky enough to be featured in the Hold Still Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. I moved to the coast from Halesowen for university in 2014. This remote seaside town is my muse and vice all at once. I see such gorgeous vistas every day but I worry the photographs no longer imitate what my eyes see but rather act as a dreamy call card to something I once vaguely remember.

Craig B. Howe LRPS

My interest in photography spans nearly 40 years. My main interest lies in social documentary, inspired by the dramatic dynamic works of Don McCullin, Josef Koudelka and W. Eugene Smith and the compelling contemporary use of colour and composition of Alex Webb and Stephen Shore. In 2010 I finally studied photography formally, achieving an HND with distinction. My work is represented in the National Library of Wales which purchased my project documenting the creation of the HM Stanley statue in Denbigh. Regional exhibitions include the Northern Eye Festival (2017) and the National Eisteddfod for North Wales (2011).

Daniel Muckle-Jones

I have been living in Ruthin for the last 14 years. I am an enthusiastic amateur who fell in love with photography when I was 15. Since retiring from a career in medicine, I have further developed my passion for photography. I am an active member of Ruthin Camera Club. My main interests are in documentary and street photography. I am constantly looking for art in the ordinary and beauty in the mundane. I am not so interested in pictures with a timeless quality, rather I try to capture images which give a sense of the time they were made.

Gareth Eckley

My name is Gareth Eckley, I’m a self-taught photographer, mainly working on street art but expanding my photography experience by learning new skills and styles. I believe that when taking photographs you not only capture a photo you capture a moment that otherwise be lost in time and to preserve that memory or that moment in history is without a doubt one of the greatest privileges anyone person can have.

John Clark LRPS CPAGB AWPF

Photography started with a Brownie 127 in the ‘50s with home D & P then the school Photo Soc run by Ken Worthy, a founder of NWPA. Computing and Photoshop 4 expanded horizons in regular photography and to art photos, cyanotype, screen and other print techniques in addition to my modern jewellery making and metal sculpture. This explains my photographic preoccupation with abstracting shapes, details, oddities and historical features in my pictures and for morphing into art submissions. The Frontiers project struck a chord by digging deeply into features we pass daily without a thought of their significance.

John Staten

I was born in 1957 and grew up in Great Barr, on the north western edge of Birmingham. I was given a kodak box camera by my grandfather at the age of ten so you could say I have been a photographer for over fifty years.

I still use film occasionally but like many others, working digitally has rekindled my passion for photography. I not only enjoy studying the work of other photographers but visual art in general. Some favorites include painters like Georgia O’Keeffe and Edward Hopper. Photographers I admire include Andre Kertesz, Tony Ray Jones and Mario Giacomelli.

Dr. Linda Clare ARPS

Abstract images created through capturing details, patterns and textures in the landscape or built environment constitute the main theme in Linda’s photography. Multiple images are often presented together in a grid to build the overall effect. Alongside this, her love of nature and wildlife has sparked a nascent interest in documenting the threat arising from the evolving impact of human activity on the environment.

Marina Barber

I am from Sydney Australia and I have always been interested in photography. Moving to Africa gave me a wonderful opportunity to photograph wildlife and desert landscapes. Upon my return to Australia I began to photograph people. I discovered that I also had an eye for architecture. I travelled extensively throughout the world and photographed many interesting subjects.

I now live in Llanbedr North Wales. My boyfriend Steve Williams has inspired me to explore unusual avenues of photography that are unique and creative and this has ignited me to express myself in a new and dynamic way which is simply exquisite.

Neil Johansson ARPS

I have been interested in photography since I took it as an option for my Art A-Level back in the early 2000’s. I then went to the University of Sheffield and studied Law, but returned to photography when I came home. Things changed significantly In 2013. I won a place on Goldsmiths’ International Urban Photography Summer School which took place in 2014. I learned a great deal about street and documentary photography during my placement at Goldsmiths’ and I’ve never looked back.

I am a member of the RPS and attained my LRPS distinction in 2012 and my ARPS distinction in 2018. My work has featured in various magazines and has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. I am currently working on several long-term projects and also my FRPS panel.

Patricia Cordery

My initial experience of photography was helping my dad process and print roll film in the family bathroom. The fascination of watching a print develop from a blank sheet of paper stayed with me when my work began to involve photography as a scientific tool. Since retiring and joining a local camera club I have tried to embrace the artistic side of photography. I don’t have any particular influences, but I do love landscapes and seascapes. I am trying to think more about the composition of a photograph, which before joining a club I wouldn’t have been aware of.

Penny Dewhurst BSc (Hons) LRPS CPAGB

I learnt dark-room photography in school and photography was part of my Art & Design Foundation and Graphic Design courses. Although I did not follow these subjects as a career, they have remained hobbies. In 2008 I decided to try for a qualification and gained my LRPS shortly after and joined Conwy camera club where I have enjoyed meeting like-minded people. I gained more experience entering national competitions and later gained my CPAGB. I love photographing animals and anything with strong colour or design. I’m inspired by those who create artistic montages and aim to improve my own ability

Robert Cain

I am a physically disabled photographer living in Llandudno Junction, North Wales. I have been involved in photography for most of my adult life, in one form or another. I had not taken part in any similar projects before and the subject fascinated me, which is why I became involved in the “Frontiers” Project. The monochrome genre was a deliberate choice, since I am a fan of the b/w photos of Robert Frank and Walker Evans.

Saul Richmond Huck LRPS

I am an engineer and amateur photographer living and working around Snowdonia. During Covid-19 lockdown I was fortunate to be able to escape into the landscape and capture a number of images that fell nicely into my “Frontiers” project. My photography is more opportunistic than it is planned so I carry a camera everywhere I go. My challenge is to be able to find an image no matter what location I find myself in. I edit my images with the intention of reproducing what I have seen or conceived rather than what the camera records, which is often very different.

Sue Clark LRPS CPAGB AWPF

My interest and enthusiasm for photography increased enormously when I discovered Photoshop in the late 1990s and found that I was much more at home with digital technology than I had been with darkroom processing. It was an opportunity that I didn’t realise I was waiting for! My pictures usually tell a story. They almost always look as if they are straight from the camera, although they are invariably heavily edited, whether a single image or a composite of several. I also enjoy making more graphic versions of everyday scenes.

Susan Blagden

I have been a keen, amateur photography for many years. When I moved to Wales, I discovered the NWPA/ local camera clubs. These gave me marvellous communities to be part of and learn from. I have a Diploma in Photography, and Advanced Diplomas in both Landscape Photography and Wildlife Photography. I am out with my camera every day and post a daily Instagram image of something that brings me delight. I also founded Contemplative Camera to help people, through Retreats and Quiet Days, to explore the similar disciplines between photography and prayer. www.contemplativecamera.org @cameraprayer instagram/ Twitter.

Yvonne Griffiths

I took up digital photography 2 years ago, whilst waiting for surgery. I felt that photography would also help my recovery after the operation, in keeping me active, mentally sane and encouraging me to get back outdoors. It certainly worked, I’m back out exploring, with my camera in tow, I love it and I’m currently studying for a HNC with the British Academy of Photography.

Bibliography

1.Jennifer Jenkins (Ed.): Remaking the landscape - The changing face of Britain. Profile Books Ltd., London (2002).

2. Farley, Paul; Roberts Michael Symmons: Edgelands - Journeys into England’s True Wilderness. Jonathan Cape, London (2011).

3. Misrach, Richard: Richard Misrach on Landscape and Meaning. Aperture Foundation, New York, 2020.

4. Alexander, J.A.P: Perspectives on Place: Theory and Practice in Landscape Photography. Fairchild Books, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. (2015).

Front Cover: Image by Andy Polakowski

Back Cover: Image by John Staten