This evening (15 June 2010), the University of Glamorgan presented the Chair for the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod to the local committee at a special ceremony in Treforest.
This year’s Chair and the financial prize are both presented by the University. The Chair was designed and the project managed by two members of staff from the University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jeremy Spencer and Richard Randall, and crafted by Alex McDonald from Pembrokeshire. Alex was also responsible for crafting the 2008 Cardiff and District National Eisteddfod Chair.
The Mystic Symbols are at the core of this year’s Chair, and its three sweet chestnut upright elements reflect the three triangular shadows. Both the written and spoken word is embodied in its form, with the seat reminding us of an open book and spoken language, and the tip of the Chair reminiscent of the nib of a quill or pen and the written language.
Richard Davies, Chair of the 2010 Executive Committee said:
“I am delighted to accept the Chair on behalf of the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod Executive. It’s a beautifully crafted Chair, and is very different to the Eisteddfod Chairs of the past. It’s a modern Chair, and a Chair which perfectly reflects this year’s Eisteddfod.”
“Although the concepts within the Chair will be well-known to Eisteddfodwyr, the Chair itself is unusual and presents these themes in a new way. This is our hope in Blaenau Gwent and the Heads of the Valleys this year. We are very grateful to the University of Glamorgan for their generosity, and for the support of an organisation like the University which plays such a central role within the region.”
The Chair’s materials contain some of the values of the University of Glamorgan, with the wood sustainably grown by Coed Cymru from Welsh woodland, echoing the University’s commitment to the environment and the challenge of a green economy, and the carbon fibre reflects the University’s place at the cutting edge of technology. Both were produced in Wales.
University of Glamorgan Vice-Chancellor, Julie Lydon, commented:
“The University of Glamorgan is proud to be donating this year’s chair, and the fact that it has been designed by one of our lecturers reflects the wealth of creative talent at the University.
“In the year when we are announcing our new Welsh language scheme, it is fitting that we are supporting the National Eisteddod and demonstrating our commitment to the Welsh language in this way.”
