In 2014, Swansea marked the centenary of its prodigal son, Dylan Thomas’, birth with Dylan Thomas 100, a citywide programme of events. Keith Bayliss was one of the practitioners invited to participate in this month long project at Mission Gallery. A one day ‘residency’ in the space, this was a performance which produced a large scale painting during the gallery’s opening hours, in response to poetry read by poet David Thomas.
‘Lyrical One’ was a collaborative project organised by Mission Gallery and Snug Projects. It comprised of workshop and forum-based gatherings involving students, artists, amateur and professional poets and musicians. The project form the basis for the development of an ongoing project that brought together individual singer songwriters based in Wales to respond to and be inspired by themes within the work of Dylan Thomas. It will marry two creative mediums in which Wales has great pride and a contemporary presence – the creative and lyrical use of language and contemporary music.
For full details about this exhibition: https://www.missiongallery.co.uk/exhibitions/lyrical-one/
“When asked to participate in this project, I proposed that I stretch a canvas to a wall in the gallery and with the public allowed to enter and sit, ask questions and comment, I would produce a work in a day, while my friend the poet David Thomas, throughout the day read his work. From 11.00 in the morning until 4.00 in the afternoon we both performed, painted and discussed our work and working processes and made our contribution to the celebration of one of our fellow Swansea talents, Dylan Thomas”
Keith Bayliss
PLAYLIST
Listen to David Thomas poetry with soundscape by Joseph Bayliss
