Anthem

ANTHEM

Recently my work has been primarily text based, I draw words, but not in an ornamental or decorative way. I am trying to capture the spontaneity and working process of the creative act of writing poetry, the way words might look on the pages of a poet’s notebooks, or the back of an envelope or beer mat, rather than the uniformity of a printed page. This work shows the words of the national anthem of Wales, which is also sung in Brittany and Cornwall (same melody, different words). Strictly, ‘Hen Wlad fy Nhadau’ is not regarded as a ‘national’ anthem since politically, Wales is not classified as a ‘nation’, but it is perceived as such. Few know the words of the first verse, as we can see at Rugby internationals, fewer still know the remaining verses... but it remains a stirring anthem. It was first sung at a Rugby match against the All Blacks of New Zealand as a riposte to the Hakka. In that sense, it is essentially a ‘tribal’ rallying call.