‘Gariswn o Flodau’ – Three stained glass windows for Conwy Castle
Commissioned by Cadw and installed in the castle in 2012, this work was a collaboration with artist, Rachel Phillips. The inspiration for this work came when we visited the castle and surrounding landscape, and saw medieval stained glass from the Church of Llangwstenin (now in the archives of Llandudno Museum), and at Llanrychwyn Church near Llanrwst. We wanted to use the Medieval techniques of stained glass to create a contemporary artwork inspired by these surviving medieval fragment panels.
The windows tell the story of the Welsh Princes and their bloody struggles with Edward 1st who built the castle in 1283-89. The panels contain hundreds of references to historic texts and manuscripts, as well as references to contemporary life in the area, such as mountain bikes and a mobile phone. The intention was to create a contemporary artwork using traditional skills, and to restore some colour and opulence to the castle ruins.
The windows contain three couplets specially commissioned from Welsh writer, Damian Walford Davies.
With the support of Wales Arts International, in 2013 Linda travelled to Florida to give a presentation to the annual conference of the American Glass Guild about this commission.