thank you and plans for 2018!

last week we closed "longitude", which was our final exhibition of the 2017 gallery project, 76m2. So now we're taking a bit of a break over the Christmas and New Year to catch our breath and start getting ready for our plans for next year!

A little more on that later, but first we'd just like to thank Nóra for all the hard work and time she put into the making of "longitude", the exhibition was very popular and, in terms of the number of artists featured, it was the biggest of the year. We know that it wasn't easy for Nóra rounding everyone up, but she did an amazing job bringing everyone together and arranging such a complex group of images. We'd also like to thank all the artists who participated in the exhibition, we appreciate you agreeing to show your work at the gallery, and we know the people in town also enjoyed being able to see it!

And so on to next year, last week we got the good news that our new funding application with the Arts Council of Wales was successful, which means, that along with support and grants from Torfaen Council Arts Development and Pontypool Community Council, we will be able to keep 76m2 open for another year and we'll have a whole new set of exhibitions and photographers to share with everyone who follows online and our visitors in Pontypool!

We'll also be continuing our collaboration with the Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr, and will have a new exhibition opening there in January. There are also a couple of other projects we have planned, but for now we're keeping those under our hat.

As always, we'll be posting information about the upcoming exhibitions at the gallery and other projects here, facebook and twitter. We'll have more information about what's coming in the new year soon!

Finally, we'd just like to thank everyone who's visited the gallery in the last year, and to everyone in Pontypool for supporting the gallery by visiting and making us feel welcome, and the Arts Council of Wales, Torfaen Council's Arts Development and Pontypool Community Council.

All the best and we hope you have a wonderful holiday, however you're celebrating, and a happy New Year!

Zosia & Dafydd

the*kickplate*project

PS and to everyone who had their portraits taken during "1871", you can collect them from the gallery in January if you haven't yet!

"longitude" - third set of images and thank you!

Evening everyone,

today was the last day of "longitude", so we'd like to show you the third and final set of photographs included in Nóra's show:

Melih Dönmezer and Dafydd Williams

Éric Antoine

Terry Magson and Zosia Krasnowolska

Olivia Kohnke, Nanne Springer and Stéphane Pellennec

***

We would like to thank Nóra Barabás for working with us and creating this show,
and all the artists who agreed to participate:

Carmen Marchena Alonso

Eli Geller

Éric Antoine

Frédéric Chabot

Esthaem

Ladislav Viszoczky

Marcela Paniak

Matteo Varsi

Megan Cump

Melih Dönmezer

Nanne Springer

Olivia Kohnke

Rebecca Cairns

Sonia Firlej

Stéphane Pellennec

Terry Magson

Timothy Wilson

and

Yulia Kazban

Also, a big thanks to everyone who's come to visit us in Pontypool this year!

It's been a pleasure getting to know you all, and also seeing our visitors from previous projects.

We'll have more updates for you very soon.

"longitude" - second set of images

Good evening,

Tonight we'd like to share three more sets of images that make part of "longitude", show curated for us by Nóra Barabás.

Below the images you can find links to the photographers' pages, so follow them to find more of their work. "longitude" continues in 76m2 until Saturday the 16th of December.

Timothy Wilson (left) and Carmen Marchena Alonso (right)

Frédéric Arthur Chabot (top)

Rebecca Cairns (middle)

Esthaem (bottom)

from left to right: 

Olivia Kohnke

Dafydd Williams

Nanne Springer

Matteo Varsi

you can click the images to enlarge them or see them, 

along with other project updates, on our facebook page

"longitude" - first 4 diptychs

Evening everyone,

Now that "longitude" has been open for a week, we'd like to show you the first 4 diptychs included in the exhibition curated by Nóra Barabás, with links to the artists' pages so you can see more of their work.

First off is the diptych featuring in the poster, with images by Yulia Kazban and Eli Geller; the following 3 diptychs are arranged in the order of the photographs on our gallery walls.

 Yulia Kazban (left) and Eli Geller (right)

Sonia Firlej and Stéphane Pellennec

Megan Cump and Rebecca Cairns

Ladislav Viszoczky and Marcela Paniak 

***

We'd also like to let you know that we've joined a campaign called "Standing Up 4 Sitting Down", which encourages shop owners and venues to make their facilities available to people who would like to have a rest and a sit down, letting everyone know that they're welcome to come in and take a seat, which will hopefully make town centres more friendly places, and easier to visit, especially for elderly people or people with health problems. We think it's a great idea!

  

"longitude" opening and project updates

Morning everyone,

"longitude", a group exhibition curated for us by Nóra Barabás, opened last Friday and we'd like to share some photographs from the opening of the exhibition. You can find links to the artists' work and read more about the show in English and Welsh on our website. The show will run until the 16th of December and this time round we're also open on Mondays! 

We'd also like to let you know that, while this exhibition is our last one this year, we'll be bringing "summer passage" by French photographer Stéphane Vendran to Brynmawr's Market Hall Cinema (the oldest cinema in Wales!) after our New Year's break. We created "summer passage" for New Tredegar's White Rose Information and Resource Centre last year and we're happy that Stéphane's analogue photographs from his summer travel through Central and Eastern Europe to the Black Sea will brighten up the winter again, this time in Brynmawr! 

Last but not least, all the photos that Dafydd took during "1871" are now ready to be handed to their owners, so if you've sat for a portrait, just pop in and pick it up from 76m2!

"longitude", curated by Nóra Barabás, opens Friday, December 1st!

featuring images by:

​Carmen Marchena Alonso
Eli Geller
Éric Antoine
Frédéric Chabot
Esthaem
Ladislav Viszoczky
Marcela Paniak
Matteo Varsi
Megan Cump
Melih Dönmezer
Nanne Springer
Olivia Kohnke
Rebecca Cairns
Sonia Firlej
Stéphane Pellennec
Terry Magson
Timothy Wilson
Yulia Kazban
Dafydd Williams
Zosia Krasnowolska

more info coming soon!

"1871" updates

Morning everyone,

Our portrait exhibition has been on for a week now and our gallery walls are filling up with portraits of new sitters! You can still have your photograph taken and join the exhibition, just visit the gallery and speak to us. The show is open till the 25th of November and we're in the gallery Tuesday to Saturday, 11 to 18.

And for those of you who would like to see more photos of Dafydd's ultra-large camera project in Maindee, you can find them on our facebook page. 

 

"1871" opening on Tuesday the 7th of November

“1871” is a collection of images that refer to the beginning of studio and family portraiture in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries that made the new artistic medium of photography accessible to the general public for the first time. In 1871 Dr Richard L. Maddox invented the Dry Plate, a glass plate coated in a light-sensitive material that could be stored and used later. This invention meant that photographers could travel further, and transport their photographic materials without the need to coat and develop them as soon as they were taken. Because of this, it was no longer needed to travel with, or have a darkroom, which also meant that it was possible for individuals to buy a pack of dry plates, use them at home and have them developed elsewhere, reducing the cost of taking photographs significantly.

The first set of images is a collection of found glass plates brought to us by Calvin Morgan from Aberbargoed. The plates is a series of candid family photographs taken by a family in Lincoln (one images is a photograph of family member’s picture taken at the Geo Hadley studio, Lincoln which existed between 1885 and 1900), and unlike normal studio photographs from the period, show the family relaxed, smiling and having fun at home. 

The images we usually see from the 19^th century were taken in a studio and are quite static and look more serious and sombre (due in part to the long exposure times needed in early photography). The new dry plates were more sensitive than other traditional materials and it was possible to use quicker shutter speeds and take “snapshots”.

The second series of images is a collection of portraits of visitors to the gallery, and people in Pontypool, which recreate the slower and more static-style studio photography of the early photography period. Each portrait is taken on a large format 8x10 camera, photographic paper and developed using a reversal process which creates a unique and un-reproducible b/w portrait. We will continue taking portraits during the exhibition growing it as it progresses.  At the end of the exhibition, each sitter will get to keep their portrait.

“1871” is the eighth in a series of 9 exhibitions organised in 76m2 by the*kickplate*project, with the support from the Arts Council of Wales, Torfaen Council’s Arts Development and Pontypool Community Council.

***

Mae "1871" yn gasgliad o ddelweddau sy'n cyfeirio at ddechrau portreadau stiwdio a theuluol ddiwedd y 19eg a dechrau'r 20fed ganrif a wnaeth gyfrwng artistig newydd ffotograffiaeth yn hygyrch am y tro cyntaf. Yn 1871 dyfeisiwyd y Plât Sych gan Dr Richard L. Maddox, plât gwydr gyda haen o ddeunydd sensitif i olau y gellid ei storio a'i ddefnyddio yn nes ymlaen. Golygai'r ddyfais y gallai ffotograffwyr deithio ymhellach, a chludo eu deunyddiau ffotograffig heb fod angen eu haenu a'u datblygu cyn gynted ag y'u cymerwyd. Oherwydd hyn nid oedd angen mwyach i deithio gyda, neu fod ag ystafell dywyll, oedd hefyd yn golygu ei bod yn bosibl i unigolion brynu pecyn o blatiau sych, eu defnyddio adref ac yna eu datblygu mewn man arall, gan ostwng yn sylweddol y gost o dynnu ffotograffau.

Mae'r set gyntaf o ddelweddau yn gasgliad o blatiau gwydr a ganfuwyd a gawsom gan Calvin Morgan o Aberbargoed. Mae'r platiau yn gyfres o ffotograffau teulu a dynnwyd gan deulu yn Lincoln (mae un ddelwedd yn ffotograff o ddarlun aelod o'r teulu a dynnwyd yn stiwdio Geo Hadley, Lincoln a fodolai rhwng 1885 a 1990), ac yn wahanol i ffotograffau stiwdio arferol y cyfnod, yn dangos y teulu yn hamddenol, yn gwenu ac yn cael hwyl adref. Roedd y delweddau a welwn fel arfer o'r 19eg ganrif yn cael eu tynnu mewn stiwdio ac yn eithaf sefydlog ac yn edrych yn fwy difrifol a syber (yn rhannol oherwydd yr amserau agored hir oedd ei angen mewn ffotograffiaeth gynnar). Roedd y platiau sych newydd yn fwy sensitif na deunyddiau traddodiadol eraill ac roedd yn bosibl defnyddio cyflymder cau cyflymach a chymryd "cipluniau".

Mae ail gyfres o ddelweddau yn gasgliad o bortreadau o ymwelwyr i'r bobl, a phobl ym Mhont-y-pŵl, sy'n ail-greu ffotograffiaeth stiwdio arafach a mwy statig y cyfnod ffotograffiaeth gynnar. Tynnwyd pob portread ar gamera 8x10 fformat mawr, papur ffotograffig ac a ddatblygwyd yn defnyddio proses wrthdroi sy'n creu portread du a gwyn unigryw ac na fedrir ei atgynhyrchu. Byddwn yn parhau i dynnu portreadau yn ystod yr arddangosfa gan ei dyfu wrth iddo ddatblygu. Caiff pawb sy'n eistedd gadw eu portread ar ddiwedd yr arddangosfa.


"1871" yw'r wythfed mewn cyfres o 9 arddangosfa a drefnwyd yn 76m2 gan brosiect *kickplate* gyda chefnogaeth Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru, Datblygu Celfyddydau Cyngor Torfaen a Chyngor Cymuned Pont-y-pŵl.

7 Tachwedd – 25 Tachwedd
Dydd Mawrth – Dydd Sadwrn, 11:00 – 18:00

7th November – 25th November
Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 – 18:00

76m2
2 Adeiladau Portland / 2 Portland Buildings
Stryd Fasnachol / Commercial Street
Pont-y-pŵl / Pontypool
Torfaen
NP4 6JS

"PhotoRenga" ending, Maindee Triangle project and new exhibition

Morning everyone,

We have a few updates for you this week. First of all, "PhotoRenga" closed on Tuesday, so we'd like to thank David and Kate for running the workshop which led to the exhibition, Bill, Rosie, Jason, Kate and Paddy for their participation and everyone who came to visit in the last couple of weeks. Here are a few more photos from the exhibition - we will post images of the complete renga that were on display later on.

Second, for those of you who haven't made it to Maindee yet, Dafydd will be there for two more days taking ultra-large portraits on colour photographic paper with a camera built into the door of the former public toilet building on Chepstow Road (as odd as it sounds!). Due to the unpredictability of the process and the temperatures dropping, these are not perfect photographs, but if you're after a unique (and nearly life-size) image of yourself, look no more. You can also see the developing process, which is very interesting! The portraits are free and everyone will be able to take them home on Tuesday evening after a three-day exhibition at the nearby Holbrook Studio - there's more info about the times on Maindee Library's facebook event page.

Last but not least, our new show in 76m2 is opening on Tuesday the 7th of November at 2. We'll have more information about it soon, but for now we can say it'll be called "1871" after the year when the dry plate (or gelatin) process was invented, and will feature portraits of our gallery visitors, and also some surprises..

That's it for now, we'll be back with more updates soon!

"PhotoRenga", portrait exhibition and other updates

Evening everyone,

We've got quite a few updates for you this week. "PhotoRenga", a group exhibition presenting work by Jason Burgess, Paddy Faulkner, Bill Hart, Zosia Krasnowolska, Rosie Swan and Kate Woodward, created during a workshop held in 76m2 a few weeks ago, is in its final days (closing on the 31st of October), so there are still a few days left to catch it (we're open on Monday this time round!).

Second, we've been preparing a portrait exhibition, which will include portraits of our gallery visitors, taken by Dafydd on his homemade large format camera and photographic paper. The show will be on in November and additional portraits will be taken throughout the exhibition. 

There are also two personal projects that we have been working on recently. 

Last weekend, as part of madeinroath festival in Cardiff, Zosia exhibited "slant of light", an installation of winter photographs by Russian artist Andrew Pershin, printed on artificial silk and suspended in a bay window. 

Currently, Dafydd is building a camera in the building of the former public toilets in Maindee, Newport as part of the New Paths programme run by the Maindee Library thanks to their Arts Council of Wales funding for an Ideas:People:Places project "Finding Maindee". During this weekend's Photomarathon, and over the next week, he'll be taking life-sized portraits of Maindee residents and visitors on colour photographic paper, so keep your eyes peeled for an unusual construction appearing in the Maindee Triangle. 

More updates on both projects coming soon!