Work by Kay Aplin
Visitors to Llanbradach, near Caerphilly, will have a feast for the eye when they see the spectacular sculpture which is being unveiled in the village today (Monday 14 December).
Working with the local community, artist Kay Aplin has created two spectacular large-scale 5 metre high towers called Llanbradach Follies, which will be unveiled on the 14th December at 1.30pm on the main High Street by Cllr John Evans, Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough Council.
The location, colour and scale of the work creates a wow factor for anyone entering the village. Covered in over 2000 brightly coloured tiles, the follies are based on local imagery such as the history, culture and stories of the area, with the local community heavily involved in creating the final designs and many of their ideas inset into the work.
Kay Aplin stated:
“This is my biggest and most spectacular commission to date and one that will hopefully continue to inspire and delight the community of Llanbradach for many years to come. It’s been eighteen months since I first began to design the towers, in conjunction with the local community, and I am very excited to see them finally being installed. I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to the people of the town and the council who have supported me and helped see this ambitious project through to its final conclusion.”
The Treasurer of the Llanbradach and Pwyllypant Partnership, Trevor Boyns said, “It was artist Kay Aplin’s ability to ‘think outside the box’ which persuaded the Partnership to appoint her, and we have not been disappointed. The towers are unmissable, provide a central focal point to the village and will undoubtedly be a talking point amongst villagers and visitors for many generations to come.”
Llanbradach Councillor Colin Mann said, “The follies represent the finishing touch to the regeneration work in the centre of Llanbradach which has been ongoing for several years now. We are grateful to all the people who have worked very hard to bring about this improvement to our village.”
A spokesperson for Arts Council of Wales added:
“This ambitious public art commission in Llanbradach had a strong community involvement as local people developed the themes for the final work with the artist, Kay Aplin. We hope that the sculpture will become a much loved feature which will create a strong sense of pride and identity in the area.”
This work was funded by Llanbradach and Pwllypant partnership, The Arts Council of Wales and Caerphilly County Borough Council and was project managed by Caerphilly Arts Development.
