News. . . .
May 27th, 2011
Golden Dragon Mosaic – An Invitation
An invitation is being extended to anyone who wants to help make a beautiful community made mosaic, which is destined for the castle grounds in Newcastle Emlyn.
Click a photo to see a larger image
With a grant of £4,985 secured by Heart of the Dragon from Awards For All Lottery funding, many local groups and individuals will be involved in cutting, shaping and sticking thousands of tiny tiles needed to make cover the 12ft by 12ft concrete base of the Dragon Oak culpture. . It’s design will reveal a prophecy of prosperity for the town and will visually tell the story of the Last Dragon .
Open drop in for anyone who would like to take part in making the mosaic will be at;
Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church Hall (next to the castle) at the WI market on Friday 27th May 10 till midday and Newcastle Emlyn Leisure Centre on Wed 1st June 5.30 till 8pm
Historically, Owain Glyndwr’s golden dragon flag was destroyed at the castle in 1403, and the town has created its continuing story of the rebirth of the Spirit of the Dragon with a New Born Baby Dragon called Emlyn at events and Dragon festivals over the past six years.
Artistic director Pamela Gaunt tells us ‘The aim is for as many people as possible, of all abilities and ages to feel a sense of co-creation, ownership and involvement in the making of this lovely piece of art .It will be seen by thousands of visitors over many years to come, as a permanent tribute to the Golden Dragon.’
The project and community involvement is being led by Pod Clare, (a well known community artist, who has just completed a giant mosaic made from groups all over Wales for the National Botanical Gardens.) Local groups already involved include HUTS, the Friendship Club, Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn, Ysgol y Ddwylan, Sion Gwilt, Tivy Day Centre, and an open drop in at the WI market.
Other groups in Llandyssul and Cardigan are being invited to include the wider community. All participants will be offered an award at the Heart of the Dragon festival on July 2nd, when the mosaic will be unveiled, along with new story boards, an hand carved Merlins Prophecy, a green fayre and a dragon procession.
For more info contact;
Mosaic; Pod Clare on 01545 570005
Opening and Heart of the Dragon Festival: Pamela on 01559 371427
Green Fayre on July 2nd ; Annette 01559 370969
This sounds like a very exciting project, and I am sure many local people will enjoy taking part. However, at the risk of sounding like a killjoy, I must admit to having serious misgivings about efforts over recent years to make the castle grounds more interesting, and I would welcome a response from the organisers to the questions which follow.
Not too long ago, a series of display cases were installed around the grounds containing depictions of birds, etc. A few of these have been badly vandalised, while others are just slowly disintegrating and rather sad.
The recently installed dragon’s egg sculpture around which the mosaic will be laid, is frankly a rather disturbing piece which resembles nothing so much as a giant phallus.
The new gates, while undoubtedly an improvement on what went before, are very elaborate and delicate-looking.
I can’t help wondering what they will look like a few years from now in our damp climate, as the algae and rust take hold (assuming that the vandals don’t get there first).
So my questions about the mosaic are:
(i) Will it use durable materials which are easy to keep clean? Who will keep it clean?
(ii) Will it be robust enough to withstand vandalism, such as people dropping heavy objects onto it, attacking it with hammers or pots of paint?
(iii) Are there contingency plans to repair it if it is damaged?
I don’t want to exaggerate the level of vandalism in town, but it does sometimes happen. Last year, someone spent a lot of energy breaking down some young trees, and someone else managed to heave some large round bales into the river.
If we are not careful, we could end up with a site which is littered with the rotting and broken remains of artworks intended to beautify it; and the world being what it is, there never seems to be as much enthusiasm for clearing away the wrecks as there is for installing new features.
Answers to questions about the mosaic around the Dragon Sculpture:
1. The mosaic is made from purpose made non-slip ceramic tiles which are extremely durable. The spaces between the mosaic elements will be filled shortly with a small gravel held in place by resin, which is so hard wearing that it is used for driveways. It will be more or less self cleaning – it will get muddy when people walk on it in wet weather, dusty in dry weather, but rain and wind should keep it more or less in balance – this is what I have found on other sites, anyway. It might be a good idea to brush it occasionally, esp in autumn when leaves will accumulate around the base of the sculpture.
2. It is cemented and grouted with best quality exterior grade products , and is very robust indeed. There is nothing anyone can do about someone who is intent on destruction, but it would take determination and a bag of tools to damage it once complete, and in my experience acts of mindless mischief such as you describe are not premeditated and planned. I have spoken with the local policeman, who is aware that the park is an attractive place for young people, and will be keeping an eye out.
The most vulnerable part of it is the very edge, which could be damaged by the blades of a mower or a strimmer, I have spoken to the groundsman, and will make a plan with Pam to surround the plinth with an apron either of cement or setts, so that a mower doesn’t have to go right to the very edge of it. This will also keep weeds from growing right at the edge, and overlapping the mosaic in an unsightly way, as is happening at the moment.
3. Aftercare. I will check on the mosaic at least annually, as I am sure others more locally will too, and should any problems occur, advise on what needs doing, or do it myself.