After the Soft Ascent / Wedi’r Esgyniad Ysgafn

Commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government and permanently installed at Cardiff Airport, this is one of several works around the airport by a selection of contemporary artists. The work was commissioned to reflect the bilingual nature of Wales.

Taking an English language line from Wales most famous poet, Dylan Thomas, ("after the soft ascent") and a Welsh language line from one of Wales most beloved bands, The Super Furry Animals ("pan ddaw'r wawr"), they were combined to create a new mini-poem - (in English) "After the soft ascent, when dawn breaks...", (yn Cymraeg) "Wedi'r esgyniad ysgafn, pan ddaw'r wawr...". This new text conjures an image of that moment when a plane breaks through cloud to sunlight, or the moment on a long haul flight when dawn peeps through the window blinds.

The words of the sculpture are sequenced to illuminate one by one, in their English and Welsh language pairings, illustrating the translation between the two, before illuminating collectively.