PARADE

“The centre of the City is where the old monuments are, but not, for the most part, people’s lives…..” Guido Guidi.

PARADE: by John Meirion Rea

A stereo audio-visual interpretation taken from an original immersive multi-media installation, commissioned by Maindee Library, and The Arts Council of Wales.

My creative work is inspired by the voices of the people of Wales. My focus has been on the melodic nature, and textures of diverse dialects and languages; particularly our native Welsh and Anglo-Welsh dialects, and how they are mirrored in, and defined by our environment.

I spent time in Maindee, Newport, where I met and listened to people’s stories, alongside cinematographer and photographer Huw Talfryn Walters. Having got to know many of those who live, work and worship there, and capturing hours of film, interviews, and responding to its sounds, I presented this vérité material both as a site-specific immersive installation: a collective experience sited in the community; and as an online portal: a more intimate ‘one-to-one’ relationship.

The truths and realities that emerge, seen collectively, convey a strong sense of place, and what it means to belong, and the reality of living in urban South-East Wales. It is a snapshot of life in Maindee, as we encountered it in 2019.