Part 2: Location and Interaction
The penultimate speaker was Miriam Parry, a Welsh girl who used her personal heritage and experience to explain to us the effects of language and racism within the United Kingdom, alongside public protest through graffiti. The Welsh language has been a diminishing language in present years, as less and less parents are teaching their children, and more English speakers are settling in Wales, mostly due to the high number of holiday homes and destinations. ‘Taniwch Dros Gymru’ (1995) was a protest against the building of holiday homes as the infiltration of others is slowly destroying their heritage. It has been said by many that this 1400 year old language almost needs to be justified, as it is apparently a “hindrance” to others within the United Kingdom who visit and cannot speak Welsh; many of whom have claimed to have suffered racism in Wales due to their own ignorance. A key fact that Miriam spoke about was how one language in the world dies every 19 days. This fact shocked me and certainly made me rethink me visits to Wales, to maybe try and assimilate better and learn at least a few polite phrases. With this said, Miriam clearly made an impact with the topic she chose and was followed up strongly, but with a topic, ironically, closer to home by Isabelle Melnik.
Isabelle’s paper ventured into the world of street art and its recent projection onto social media, as she compared how, just a few years earlier the work only lasted as long as it was on the wall (whether it destroyed, removed or painted over). Today however, it is indestructible through the power of photography and social media platforms such as Instagram. One artist she focused on particularly was local artist Paul Curtis, who in 2017 created the ‘For All Liverpool’s Liver Birds’ in the upcoming Baltic Triangle area. The interactive artwork has since become a tourist attraction and improved the area even more. An alternative view of street artists’ use of social media however, is that it almost destroys the uncertainty and thrill of it, as now there is a consistent documentation and if, like Curtis’ work, it is on a private building (and possibly commissioned) it can question the entire personal ethics and practises of them.
All of the speakers were engaging and for the most part taught me something new. This experience has also given me a boost of confidence for when (in two years time) I have to do the same, as they all seemed happy and comfortable with their topics and self assured in their research and references.
HXLLISON ART HISTORY 