In August 1967 the acclaimed British author, Alan Garner OBE, published the classic children’s book The Owl
Service. This supernatural thriller tells the story of Alison, Roger and Gwyn and their unwilling involvement
in the recurring curse of Blodeuwedd, Lleu and Gronw.
It is a tale of love, supernatural possession, murder and eventual redemption, all played out in an old Welsh
farmhouse in rural mid Wales. The story revolves around the ancient tale of Blodeuwedd, from the Welsh
chronicles of mythology The Mabinigion. In The Owl Service, this tragic story is replayed generation after
generation, reliving the cursed love triangle that ensnared Blodeuwedd, Lleu and Gronw.
Photographer, David Heke, has been collaborating with Alan and Griselda Garner on a number of projects.
Following a conversation around the kitchen table in their 14th-century farmhouse, about the forthcoming
fiftieth anniversary of The Owl Service, the germ of the idea for this project was born.
Bringing together a multi-disciplinary group of artists from either side of the Welsh/English border, this
collaboration explores and celebrates this ground-breaking story and its origins in Welsh myth.
The multimedia project includes photography, video, painting, sculpture, music/soundscape, poetry and
a fine art upholstery installation. To complement the exhibition, there will be contributions from writers
working in the fields of folklore and archaeology.
The participating artists are Liz Ellis (sculpture), Jenny Ryrie (painting), David Heke (photography and video),
Chris Tally Evans (music/soundscape), Bettina Langlois (fine art upholstery) and Anna Wigley (poetry and
prose).
All the artists have been selected due to their interest in the story of Blodeuwedd from the Mabinogion
and/or The Owl Service by Alan Garner.
The exhibition will tour venues across the UK from April 2017 to September 2018 and be site-specific
for each gallery location. Workshops by some of the contributing artists can be arranged on request to
accompany the exhibition.
