AK-47

EISTEDDFOD GENEDLAETHOL 2017

“In the Art Tent one striking exhibit has been a film exploring the “disturbing appeal” of the AK-47 of which 75 million have been produced to date and which cause a quarter of a million deaths each year. Gethin Wyn Jones’s lingering, close-up portrayal of the iconic weapon is a particularly simple but shocking study.”

MEIC BIRTWISTLE, Morning Star

 

“Returning to themes of war and peace, as similarly explored by Christine Mills, Gethin Wyn Jones offers a brave and honest piece Dim Teimlad Teimlo Popeth. Filmed as a ‘luxurious goods’ commercial, these seductive close ups are of an AK-47 assault rifle, the most destructive of all guns sold globally, and responsible for an estimated quarter of a million deaths per year. AK-47s appear on national flags, video games and films, encouraging a continuation of their disturbing appeal among every generation. It is hard to walk away unaffected by these disturbing truths, all the more poignant at this festival of peace.

Morgan Griffiths’ Dada-esque two-part large collage depicting different eras explores the fragmented interaction between history and the future. This way of thinking captures the essence of Gethin Wyn Jones’ piece: the confusion that comes with failing to look for or understand fragments as a whole, as global phenomena, like the arms trade, which affect us all.”

SARA RHOSLYN MOORE, Planet Magazine