EVEN THE MOUNTAINS ARE SHELLS
«The villages that surround Mount Snowdon in North Wales have been witness to much change in their time. The dependency on tourism being only a recent development as up until the late seventies the main cause for existence was the slate industry, at one point the largest exporter in the world. The close knit communities have had to deal with the loss of their traditional sources of income and adopt a new primary economy of tourism. One thing that is apparent even to casual visitors is the mutually beneficial relationship that this land has with its inhabitants, the previous impact man has had on the land here is obvious in the mountains of slate and carved out hills, yet still time aged methods are re-imagined to become sustainable for future generations. I wanted to take a closer look at the area, the people and combine this with a desire to feel closer to my own country.
The projects, (Cynefin/EMS) both look at slightly different perspectives. While Cynefin is focused more on people, their relationships to the land and a traditionalist romantic view of the landscape, EMS considers the idea of boundary and the subtle interplay between the built and natural environments, I also wanted to convey a sense of isolation and in some ways the desperate nature of the way of life here. With traditional income streams gone and a heavy reliance on tourism the balance is finely weighted.
The portraits in Cynefin are all local people, they range from ex slate quarry workers, tourist café owners to National Trust farm managers. All linked by their relationship and reliance to the area. It may be a cliché but the generosity people seemed to have with their time was something that stayed with me, I am thankful to all the people I stopped in their tracks (literally!) who shared their stories.
Both projects were made as part of my final year of a documentary photography degree at the University of Wales, Newport. In some ways this was a continuation with other work I had been making throughout the course, mainly dealing with landscape and my home country. I find it interesting to note that often photographers will overlook what’s on their doorstep in favour of the more exotic (With exception of course!) and so with this in mind I wanted to focus on making work that has this sense of place and home to it.»
Edit by Steve Bisson
© All copyright remains with photographer John Wellings