by Kath Ashill.
Kathryn Ashill presents GUNSMOKE CITY.
Fresh from Green Man Festival, Gunsmoke City explores the narrative of a fake cowboy town based in the Swansea Valleys village of Seven Sisters. The location is an unlikely setting for the masculine idyll of the Wild West. Themes of the frontier and escapism are pushed through the imagery in the film and the set.
Ashill plays the role of lead cowboy in full drag, offering a tongue in cheek critique of the genre of the Western and gender norms. The work was filmed at the original site of the cowboy attraction and features found footage and collected imagery of Gunsmoke City from local archives. The film also incorporates Ashill’ hand-painted animation. The performance score builds on a live performance (also titled Gunsmoke City) which the artist performed at Greenman festival 2022. The work was commissioned by Greenman Trust and debuted at Greenman festival 2023.
During the opening Ashill will perform a version of the original performance score with musician Eugene Capper, who collaborated with Ashill to co-compose the accompanying score to Gunsmoke City.
Kathryn Ashill, based on Barry Island, has a multi-disciplinary practice which includes amateur dramatics, theatre boards, Drag King culture, video, and performance. These activities draw on their own personal experiences of high-class culture and working class identity. In a fun and comedic way, they use the DIY aesthetic of amateur dramatics to create costumes and sets that convey numerous characters. In their performances, Kathryn focuses on many themes, including Cliff Richard, Butlins’ history and knobbly knees, the principal boy in pantomime, the Take a Break magazine and a cat that killed someone in a past life.
Kathryn Ashill graduated with a BA Honours in Fine Art (Combined Media) from Swansea Metropolitan University (now University of Wales Trinity St Davids), and has an MFA degree from Glasgow School of Art, and has exhibited work nationally and internationally. Kathryn was recently a Future Wales Fellow for Arts Wales. They recently completed their PHD at Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at The University of Manchester which explored the potential of inter-species collaboration in artwork, through performance and bio therapy. This research was funded by the Wellcome Trust.
https://kathrynashill.com/Info
https://www.instagram.com/kathashill/
Originally commissioned for Green Man. Supported by Green Man Trust and Arts Council Wales. Additional R&D (film) supported by Arts Council Wales’ Create fund. With thanks to GS Artists, Lexi Zelda Stevens, Jane Simpson, All at Seven Sisters Sawmill Ltd, Thomas Goddard, Cathy Boyce for their continued support of this project.
Opening Friday 15th of September through to Saturday, October 6th.
Gallery open Wednesday – Saturday 12-4pm. In addition the show is open by appointment – email [email protected]
Kathryn Ashill sy’n cyflwyno GUNSMOKE CITY.
Estynnir gwahoddiad gwresog i chi i ymuno â GS Artists ar gyfer ein hagoriad nesaf ar Ddydd Gwener 15 Medi, o 6-8yh.
Kathryn Ashill sy’n cyflwyno GUNSMOKE CITY.
Yn boeth o bopty Gŵyl y Dyn Gwyrdd, mae Gunsmoke City yn hoelio sylw ar dref cowbois ffug ym mhentref Blaendulais (Seven Sisters) yng Nghwm Nedd. Dyma leoliad annisgwyl delfryd gwrywaidd y Gorllewin Gwyllt. Ymwthia themâu’n ymwneud â ffiniau a dihangdod drwy ddelweddaeth y ffilm a’r set.
Ashill yw’r prif cowboi mewn drag cyflawn; yn cynnig beirniadaeth tafod yn y boch o genre ffilmiau Western ac arferion rhywedd. Cafodd y gwaith ei ffilmio yn lleoliad y Gunsmoke City gwreiddiol ac mae’n cynnwys hen ffilm a lluniau wedi’u canfod o’r lleoliad gwreiddiol o archifau lleol. Mae’r ffilm hefyd yn cynnwys animeiddiad wedi’i baentio â llaw gan Ashill. Mae sgôr y perfformiad yn adeiladu ar berfformiad byw (sydd hefyd yn dwyn y teitl Gunsmoke City) a berfformiwyd gan yr artist yng Ngŵyl y Dyn Gwyrdd 2022. Cafodd y gwaith ei gomisiynu gan Ymddiriedolaeth Gŵyl y Dyn Gwyrdd a chafodd ei ddangos am y tro cyntaf yng Ngŵyl y Dyn Gwyrdd 2023.
Yn ystod yr agoriad bydd Ashill yn perfformio fersiwn o sgôr y perfformiad gwreiddiol gyda’r cerddor Eugene Capper, a gydweithiodd gydag Ashill i gyd-gyfansoddi sgôr Gunsmoke City.
Ymarfer amlddisgyblaethol sydd gan Kathryn Ashill o’r Barri, sy’n cynnwys actio amatur, theatre boards, diwylliant Drag King, fideo a pherfformiad. A hwythau’n byw yn Ynys y Barri, mae eu gweithgarwch artistig yn dwyn ysbrydoliaeth o’u profiadau personol o ddiwylliant uchel ael a hunaniaeth dosbarth gweithiol. Maen nhw’n defnyddio estheteg DIY theatr amatur i greu gwisgoedd a setiau sy’n portreadu cymeriadau niferus mewn modd hwyliog a doniol. Yn eu perfformiadau, mae Kathryn yn canolbwyntio ar nifer o themâu, gan gynnwys Cliff Richard, hanes Butlins a phengliniau ceinciog, prif lanc y pantomeim, cylchgrawn Take a Break a chath a laddodd rhywun mewn bywyd blaenorol.
Graddiodd Kathryn Ashill gyda BA Anrh mewn Celf Gain (Cyfryngau Cymysg) o Brifysgol Metropolitan Abertawe (Prifysgol y Drindod Dewi Sant bellach), ac mae ganddynt radd MFA o Goleg Celf Glasgow. Maent wedi arddangos gwaith yn genedlaethol ac yn rhyngwladol. Yn ddiweddar, roedd Kathryn yn Gymrawd Cymru’r Dyfodol Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru, ac maent wedi chwblhau eu PHD yng Nghanolfan Hanes Gwyddoniaeth, Technoleg a Meddygaeth Prifysgol Manceinion, ymchwil a archwiliai botensial cyd-weithio rhyng-rhywogaethol mewn gwaith celf, drwy gyfrwng perfformiad a bio-therapi. Cafodd yr ymchwil hwn ei gyllido gan y Wellcome Trust.
https://kathrynashill.com/Info
https://www.instagram.com/kathashill/
Agoriad Dydd Gwener 15 Medi ymlaen tan Ddydd Sadwrn Hydref 6.
Oriel ar agor Dydd Mercher – Dydd Sadwrn 12-4pm.
Yn ogystal mae’r sioe ar agor drwy apwyntiad – ebostiwch [email protected]