FacebookTwitter

10 Surprisingly Contemporary Buildings in Wales

Wales is known for its castles and stone cottages, but it’s also a land of contemporary architecture. Visitors will find sleek, stylish buildings designed by talented – and well-known architects – in urban areas, heritage attractions and even National Parks. 1. Caerphilly Castle Visitor Centre Blending modern with ancient, the Caerphilly Castle Visitor Centre was designed by Davies Sutton Architecture. Their goal when designing this modern building was to make it sympathetic to its surroundings but still a structure “of this era.” Welsh slate was used for the flooring and steel/lead for the roofs – a common feature in old castles. The pointed roof, a striking feature, rises up as if it were attacking the Gatehouse itself. The building faces south to maximize solar energy, and the adjoining moat’s thermal mass greatly reduces energy consumption. According to...

The Top 10 Art Galleries in Wales

Wales has become a bustling hub for UK art, with loads of fantastic art galleries found throughout the country. But where should you go if you want to visit the very best of them? Read on to find out… National Museum of Art, Cardiff This museum is home to artists from throughout the world, and regularly holds special exhibitions for some of the world’s most famous pieces. Split into three sections – Impressionist & Modern Art, Historic Art, and Applied Art – it offers something to every type of art lover. Martin Tinney Gallery, Cardiff This gallery is a shrine for modern Welsh art, exhibiting work from some of the country’s most famous names – names such as Kyffin Williams, Graham Sutherland and Josef Herman. Spread across three floors, there’s more than enough here to keep fans of contemporary art interested for a long while. Oriel Kyffin Williams, Anglesey This gallery is a...

The Rise of Laser Cutting for Artwork in Wales

You might think that laser cutting is something mainly associated with heavy industry, and you would be right. However, in this age of international outsourcing and limited opportunities for many, professional laser cutters have had to find new avenues of work, and one of the most exciting of these is laser cutting artwork. Yes, that’s right: these highly powerful lasers, used to cut through some of the world’s toughest metal, have now been tamed to produce stunning pieces of art. Many of the UK’s best-known artists and designers have jumped on the bandwagon and started commissioning or designing artwork that makes use of laser cutting techniques, and the results can range from small pieces through to ginormous statues, designed to make a bold statement wherever they are placed. Generally, laser art is created by a laser cutting professional, however they are not usually the creative...

Pin It on Pinterest