The communities within the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct UNESCO World Heritage Site were celebrated at a festival of art, performance and culture on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November.
The special event was part of a year-long community art placemaking project that has been exploring the vibrant cultural heritage of Trevor, Froncysyllte, Cefn Mawr and Chirk.
The Bridge that Connects
‘The Bridge that Connects’ is being delivered in Wales, and has shared hidden stories, places and vibrant community voices with residents across Wrexham through art, storytelling, a unique project newspaper and film. The project has been funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with Wrexham County Borough Council.
Despite the challenges from Storm Bert on Saturday, the culmination event for the project’s first year saw Chirk, Froncysyllte and Trevor host outdoor artworks, photography, film screenings, pop up exhibitions and a performance of ‘The greatest love story Wrexham never told’ by Wrexham based theatre group Dirty Protest. The Seren Fach trip boat took visitors across Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, while there was a craft fayre in Chirk and a Christmas fair at St Mary’s Hall.
On Sunday, Trevor Basin and Froncysyllte hosted the first floating market on the Llangollen Canal with local traders selling arts and crafts and unique gifts, including delicious food and drink onboard The Little Narrowboat Kitchen. Cefn Mawr hosted outdoor art around the village and the Cefn Mawr Community Museum opened its doors to give people the chance to discover more about the history of the World Heritage Site.
George Edwards Hall and the Ebeneezer Gallery welcomed poetry recitals, artists, family workshops and exhibitions including a very special 20-foot textile work created by Chantelle Purcell titled Spiritual Currencies. The week prior to the event, the work made a spiritual crossing across the iconic Pontcysyllte Aqueduct at dawn, first laid on top of the Vale of Llangollen Canal Boat journeying for three hours along the Llangollen Canal and then on foot, to take the work to Trevor Basin, marking the key themes of crossing, passage, connection and language. The resulting epic photographs were taken by filmmaker Leon Bowen and accompany a short film that was screened on Saturday in the Trevor Basin Visitor Centre and the George Edwards Hall in Cefn Mawr on Sunday, featuring performative dance by the talented Wales-based artist Jodi Ann Nicholson.
Celebrating local communities
Mark Evans, regional director for Glandŵr Cymru, said: "This was a marvellous way to celebrate the communities that are located within the World Heritage Site through the power of art and storytelling.
"Throughout the project, the Bridge that Connects has been exploring people’s stories and the history of these communities. It has given the people a voice to highlight that there's so much more to this incredible World Heritage Site beyond the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, and the role all of these communities play every day for a special part of Wales that attracts visitors all year round from across the world. We’re proud to be the charity that cares for such a rich and varied part of our cultural heritage.”
Bringing heritage sites to life
Claire Farrell, The Bridge that Connects project director, said: "We are delighted that people came out to visit and discover more about what it is that makes these communities so special. Despite the challenges of the weather, we were able to give people the opportunity to engage and bring these heritage sites to life through the art, performances and people.
"Cultural programmes like these are so valuable in allowing the space and time to engage with and understand what makes these communities so special, and what matters to them. The heritage in these 11 miles and surrounding areas within and outside of the border makes this whole area an awe-inspiring destination.
“The project has affirmed that heritage exceeds architecture and monuments, this is half of the story. Working with artists and intergenerational communities, including schools this year to explore heritage and identity along the waterways in this special rural and world-renowned landscape has been very inspiring. The stories and artistic responses that have unfolded so quickly working with so many strong, progressive and creative communities in addition to the abundance of young talent here is very exciting - the possibilities seem limitless."
To discover more about the Bridge that Connects visit the website at thebridgethatconnects.org.uk and revisit some of the exhibitions, people and performances from the festival on Facebook at facebook.com/thestreaminthesky.
