Achance conversation over Sunday lunch between painter Gigi Jones and composer Mervyn Burtch, sowed the seed of an idea which developed over a period of some months into this collaborative body of work. Tony Curtis and Grahame Davies later arrived to complete the combination; as well–published poets it is endorsement indeed that they were both inspired not just by the Common, but also by this particular project. In creating new work for 'Common Sense', the four collaborators did not wish to merely illustrate each other’s work, but rather, to bring together personal responses to a shared theme – to create a collective sense of the Common.
Gelligaer and Merthyr Common is steeped in history and has personal associations for each of the participants. It is a wild and wonderful place that has attracted dedicated visitors for hundreds of years – not least the Bronze Age residents and Roman armies. There are the commoners themselves, who can proudly look back for generations – and a great many others who go there for a variety of reasons; from flying a kite, riding a horse or a machine, to seeking out archeological, botanical and zoological rarities. There are those who go to extract the still rich resources that lie beneath the surface, or sadly, to dump their rubbish on top of it. Despite this, the Common remains a relatively well-kept secret (or a frequently overlooked and rich resource, depending on your point of view). As a place to go to collect your thoughts, or to be inspired to come up with some new ones, it certainly offers plenty to stir the complacent mind. With so much open sky, the weather seems particularly dramatic - sometimes gloriously sunny, sometimes dangerously dark and raging.
For Gigi, this project provided the opportunity to bring together all the strands of her career that she holds dear: a passion for paint, and a love of working with other creative individuals. For her, it is the culmination of an ongoing desire to encourage greater support for, and participation in, the arts and local heritage of her home of some 30 years.
Mervyn, as a local boy and a life-long neighbour of the Common, has very personal connections with it. His grandfather was a colliery fitter and lived in Cwm Bargoed. His father worked as a signalman in Nant y Ffin and met his mother who lived with her family in the cottages that later became the Tunnel Tavern. This, and his tireless professional interest in musical projects which benefit the Community meant that he was ‘up for it’ from the outset.
Tony’s years as Professor of Poetry at the nearby University of Glamorgan gave him a familiarity with the culture and landscape of this area. His countless volumes of poetry and other literary works have a strong bias to the Welsh cultural and physical landscape, while his empathy for visual art is longstanding and can be seen in his two volumes Welsh Painters Talking, 1997 and Welsh Artists Talking, 2000.
Grahame knows the Common well, having lived in Merthyr Tydfil for eleven years, during which time he would often go walking there, to find inspiration for some of his earlier poems which appeared in his 1997 volume, Adennill Tir, his 2002 bilingual volume Ffiniau / Borders, and in his 2005 volume, Achos.
If you're interested to know more about any of the collaborators, please visit their pages in the Collaborators section, or see links to their websites in the Links.
Gelligaer and Merthyr Common is steeped in history and has personal associations for each of the participants. It is a wild and wonderful place that has attracted dedicated visitors for hundreds of years – not least the Bronze Age residents and Roman armies. There are the commoners themselves, who can proudly look back for generations – and a great many others who go there for a variety of reasons; from flying a kite, riding a horse or a machine, to seeking out archeological, botanical and zoological rarities. There are those who go to extract the still rich resources that lie beneath the surface, or sadly, to dump their rubbish on top of it. Despite this, the Common remains a relatively well-kept secret (or a frequently overlooked and rich resource, depending on your point of view). As a place to go to collect your thoughts, or to be inspired to come up with some new ones, it certainly offers plenty to stir the complacent mind. With so much open sky, the weather seems particularly dramatic - sometimes gloriously sunny, sometimes dangerously dark and raging.
For Gigi, this project provided the opportunity to bring together all the strands of her career that she holds dear: a passion for paint, and a love of working with other creative individuals. For her, it is the culmination of an ongoing desire to encourage greater support for, and participation in, the arts and local heritage of her home of some 30 years.
Mervyn, as a local boy and a life-long neighbour of the Common, has very personal connections with it. His grandfather was a colliery fitter and lived in Cwm Bargoed. His father worked as a signalman in Nant y Ffin and met his mother who lived with her family in the cottages that later became the Tunnel Tavern. This, and his tireless professional interest in musical projects which benefit the Community meant that he was ‘up for it’ from the outset.
Tony’s years as Professor of Poetry at the nearby University of Glamorgan gave him a familiarity with the culture and landscape of this area. His countless volumes of poetry and other literary works have a strong bias to the Welsh cultural and physical landscape, while his empathy for visual art is longstanding and can be seen in his two volumes Welsh Painters Talking, 1997 and Welsh Artists Talking, 2000.
Grahame knows the Common well, having lived in Merthyr Tydfil for eleven years, during which time he would often go walking there, to find inspiration for some of his earlier poems which appeared in his 1997 volume, Adennill Tir, his 2002 bilingual volume Ffiniau / Borders, and in his 2005 volume, Achos.
If you're interested to know more about any of the collaborators, please visit their pages in the Collaborators section, or see links to their websites in the Links.