MoMA Wales Presents Traditional Welsh Idioms "No Hope Like a Canary"

Written by Orlando Fitzgibbons Sunday, 16 October 2011 22:25

Machynlleth, Wales.- The Museum of Modern Art, Wales is proud to present "Dim Gobath Caneri (No Hope Like a Canary"), an exhibition of works inspired by traditional Welsh idioms by poet Mike Jenkins and artist Michalel Gustavius Payne, on view at the museum until October 29th. Thanks to a grant from the Arts Council of Wales Michael Gustavius Payne (or Gus as he’s known in Merthyr) and poet Mike Jenkins have produced “Dim Gobaith Caneri”using ideas inspired by traditional Welsh idioms and phrases to explore themes relevant to Wales and the world today, in a modern context. Payne explained that “the idea of using the Dim Gobaith Caneri idiom as a theme was intended initially to be working title, but as things moved onward, it seemed to become even more relevant as ideas became distilled and the points binding both our contributions became more and more apparent”.

Poet Mike Jenkins continued to explain some of the ideas and processes behind the collaborative project: “When Gus Payne and I decided to collaborate on a series of Welsh idioms, phrases and also place-names, I knew that prose-poetry and micro-fiction was the obvious way of responding. Both are ‘framed’ by their own form and I had previously written prose-poems in response to photography, so it seemed a natural extension. What was so exciting about this collaboration was the fact that I didn’t want to react directly to Gus’s work and he didn’t want to illustrate mine. Yet, because we have so much in common it was inevitable there would be a joining of minds; we just didn’t know where that would be. In the prose-poetry, I have tried to retain my desire for musicality in language and also the importance of thinking through imagery. In the micro-fiction, I have attempted to convey the humour which the various idioms inspired.

I believe this is echoed in Gus’s strands of imagery, which keep insisting themselves in his paintings, as well as the narrative suggested in others. The Welsh language is a starting-point for both of us and because we are learners the idioms and phrases have a real freshness. Like Gus, I am very concerned with the politics of the environment and of our society generally, with its gross injustices. Living in Merthyr brings this home every day, where we see some of the poorest people in Europe struggling to cope in a world where bankers continue to be rewarded for their greed”. The touring exhibition will continue in 2012 at the Washington Gallery in Penarth during February and ending at the West Wales Arts Centre in March and April 2012.


In 1984 Andrew Lambert bought The Tabernacle, a former Wesleyan Chapel. He set up a Charitable Company, The Machynlleth Tabernacle Trust, and after extensive renovation The Tabernacle re-opened as a centre for the performing arts on 11th October 1986. The adjoining land, the site of an earlier chapel, belonged to the Tabernacle Trust and a free-standing block was built to house toilet facilities and a Green Room. In the same year the Trust, with the help of a generous loan, bought Harvey House. This former grocer’s shop provided much-needed street frontage on the main North-South Wales coastal road. It took 5 years to raise the money to convert Harvey House into Art Galleries. The building was renamed the Ellis Building and the first art exhibition was held in May 1992. A donation from the Trustees of the Foundation for Sport and The Arts along with some government support allowed the construction of the Linking Building (designed by David Thomas) and the provision of a new sound and lighting system, a recording studio, simultaneous translation facilities and a language laboratory. Lord and Lady Hooson opened the magnificent Owen Owen Building on 3rd July 1994. In 1998 the Trust received a wonderful bequest from the estate of Nora Gibbs and Mollie Winterburn. This enabled them to purchase Ty Llyfnant and convert it for use as an artist’s studio and music teaching and practise rooms. Recently the two small galleries on the first floor have been converted into one spacious Pulpit Room. Visit the MoMA Wales website at ... http://www.momawales.org.uk

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