Retracing Footsteps - The Changing Landscape Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon

Abstract

Retracing Footsteps - The Changing Landscape of Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon is the working title of a long-term, interdisciplinary research project by artist Cian Quayle (Art and Design) and cultural geographer Daniel Bos (Geography and the Environment) at the University of Chester. The first iteration of their collaborative research, which also involved the participation of two BA Photography graduates Jane Evans and Emma Petruzzelli, was exhibited at CASC in Castlefield Gallery New Art Spaces: Chester. The exhibition also formed part of Chester Contemporary [Fringe] (September 22 - December 1, 2023). The project emerged as a result of Bos' study of 19th c. Snowdon summit hotels, visitor books, in which tourists recorded their experience of ascending the mountain. The visitor books are housed at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, and Bangor University. Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon is an iconic mountain, a signifier of Welsh identity and a place rooted in history, myth, folklore and legend. The mountain attracts over 600,000 visitors a year and the project sets out to respond to the mountain and surrounding landscape as it is walked, and experienced today, at the same time as considering the threat and impacts on the ecology, environment and local communities. From May 2023 the team undertook fieldwork based on a series of ascents to photograph and video record their experience and encounter of the mountain. An edit and selection of photographs was made towards the end of summer 2023. The exhibition, which manifest initial practice and research completed up to this point was conceived and curated by Quayle, and Bos selected a collection of extracts from the visitors books, which were juxtaposed with a final selection of images, which the project team edited and selected from a larger body of work. The visitor book extracts were typeset in Albertus by Darren Prior, and an exhibition brochure was designed by Dr Alan Summers.