Parys - The People of the Mountain
There's a book about the history of Parys Mountain and the nearby town of Amlwch that has a title that describes the area perfectly; 'A Curious Place'. Mined for copper since the early bronze age, the mountain is dazzling mass of brightly coloured rock, vegetation and water, the product of the weathering of the various minerals contained within its volcanic mass. Walking around the site you can still see traces of its bronze age history, occasional discarded stone hammers or 'mauls' as they are more properly known, alongside remains of 18th and 19th century mining.
The mountain is popular with photographers and film makers drawn to it's colours and crags of its 'Martian' surface. It also draws a steady stream of artists and potters keen to incorporate its colours into their work.
The mountain is popular with photographers and film makers drawn to it's colours and crags of its 'Martian' surface. It also draws a steady stream of artists and potters keen to incorporate its colours into their work.
Although famed for its drama, colour and scenery, this project is aiming to see past that, instead it seeks to look beyond the heritage to the present, to look at the lives of people living and working on the mountain. For them, the history and heritage is a neighbour, they live and work in a real world away from the museum of the mines. In this project I have deliberately chosen to shoot in black and white, I want to take away the distraction of the colour that attracts so many people. I want to re-contextualise their daily lives as among the 'place' of the mountain, yet separate from it, in a sense re-imagining the idea of community that has evolved from those early miners into the present. I am seeking to record this phase in the mountain's history. This project is ongoing.