Cymry o Bob Man / Welsh From Everywhere
The Maindee area of Newport is incredibly ethnically diverse - and richer because of it. Children at the amazing Maindee Primary School have parents from around 30 different countries with almost as many languages spoken in their houses.
Maindee's Community House is at the heart of this diverse area, and I've been working for and with them since I was knee high to a grasshopper, so what better place to set up my portable photographic studio and invite the locals to have their portraits taken. This is not the first time I've shot portraits at Community House, and it surely won't be the last either.
Welsh From Everywhere
The title for my project comes from Susan Lewis' poem 'I Love Maindee'. Sue is a trustee at Community House, and wrote the poem as part of the Epic Award Winning Maindee Stories project (from Marion Webber).
These portraits were taken in autumn 2019, but there's more to come as soon as Coronavirus restrictions allow.
Jessica Morden, MP for Newport East (and who had her photo taken for the project) said:
"Rhys's wonderful portraits draw attention to the strength of Newport as a city - by emphasizing how welcoming our community is, and how much richer our culture is as a result. This is especially true of Maindee, where I live, and in Community House, Eton Road, where these portraits were taken. Here we welcome and celebrate the cultures of people from all backgrounds, making Wales a home for all"
Welsh from Everywhere
Shot in 2019, these are some of the first photos from my Welsh From Everywhere / Cymry o Bob Man project. Shot in Community House in Newport's Maindee area, the project aims to investigate the rich cultural diversity of the region. The local school has over 30 nations represented, and as many first languages spoken at home in Maindee. I'm looking forward to adding to the project over time, when social distancing restrictions allow.
Jessica Morden MP was kind enough to have her portrait taken and offer the following kind words for a video showcasing some of the portraits:
"Rhys's wonderful portraits draw attention to the strength of Newport as a city - by emphasizing how welcoming our community is, and how much richer our culture is as a result. This is especially true of Maindee, where I live, and in Community House, Eton Road, where these portraits were taken. Here we welcome and celebrate the cultures of people from all backgrounds, making Wales a home for all"
There's a short video about this project available on YouTube /
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