Pontypridd

2006

These steel arches sited at the start of the pedestrianised area of Pontypridd High Street are a contemporary take on the town’s once famous chain making industry. Bi-lingual text by Menna Elfyn also alludes to Pontypridd being the birthplace of the Welsh National Anthem and the converging of the rivers and valleys of the Rhondda and the Taff.

The giant chain links were fabricated by Kelvin Owen of Steel Fabrication Ltd, Ynys Môn, with large sculpted-sandstone blocks forming benches integrated into the arching links. At night, a further reference to the rivers is revealed, as the inner core glows with lights set behind layers of coloured glass, which I created with glass artist Bill Swann.  

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