Chair's visit to the Coed Coexist exhibition
Did you know the history of the old Plas Glyn-y-Weddw in Llanbedrog? The mansion was not originally an art gallery, but a home built for a woman named Elizabeth Jones Parry, the widow of Sir Love Parry Jones Parry of Madryn, although she never actually lived there. The house was built in 1857, but it did not become an art gallery until it was purchased by businessman Solomon Andrews in 1896.
The building has a varied and fascinating history, including a period as a hostel for Women's Land Army members during the Second World War, and it was even converted into flats at one time! In the 1980s, it was transformed back into an art gallery by local couple Gwyneth and Dafydd ap Tomos. A charitable trust was established in 1996 to safeguard the future of Plas Glyn-y-Weddw and its interests, and the surrounding land was purchased at a later date.
Today, a great deal of sustainability work takes place on the site, including forestry projects focused on growing and preserving native trees such as the aspen, which is rare and native to Eryri. Management work is also being carried out in the site's historic woodland, known as the Winllan.
In January 2024, a magnificent 200-year-old beech tree fell during a severe storm in the Winllan woodland at Plas Glyn-y-Weddw. Over the centuries, the tree had been shaped by the coastal climate of Pen Llŷn.
Woodworker John Egan and metal artist Junko Mori recognised the potential in the fallen tree to create a new story that would honour its life. Working in collaboration with Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, they established the Coed Coexist project - a creative collaboration that highlights woodland ecosystems while nurturing connections between community, creativity and environmental care.
A large number of artists took part in the project, using wood from the original tree to create artworks in a wide range of media, including poetry, film, charcoal, wooden boards and even weaving! Coed Coexist is an original and diverse exhibition, and it was a truly special and unique experience to visit.
More than 80 artists contributed to the project, including four artists and one musician who were specially commissioned to create work in response to the tree: Alison Neighbour, Gabriella Rhodes and Benjamin Green, Hedydd Ioan, Jo Alexander, and musician Simmy Singh. An artist exchange between Wales and Japan also formed part of the project, and the exhibition includes remarkable work by members of the Ainu community from northern Japan, showcasing their extraordinary weaving using the wood-based materials. The Ainu are the Indigenous people of northern Japan, with their own unique language, culture and spiritual traditions dating back thousands of years.
As part of the visit, there was an opportunity to walk through the woodland and see “Nyth y Ddaear” (the Earth's Nest), a unique artwork by Alison Neighbour, situated among the trees at the top of the hill.
Three was also the chance to watch several artists at work, including Eirian Muse weaving baskets, Deio Colwyn Williams carving wooden spoons - one of them in the shape of a whale - Gabriella Rhodes creating clay artworks, and Deanne Doddington Mizen producing textile pieces using wool, slate and wood.
Alongside these creative experiences, the visit included a delicious lunch at the gallery's excellent café, housed in the distinctive sea anemone-shaped building nestled beside the main gallery.
It was truly inspiring to see and experience such an extraordinary collection of artwork in such a magical and inspirational setting.
Elin Walker Jones