Chantelle Purcell

Chantelle’s curatorial work has seen her develop opportunities for emerging artists from Wales via an open call looking for artists to respond to Wrecsam Rural and The Bridge that Connects’ to explore an alternative interpretation of the World Heritage Site. Artists Jodie Ann Nicholson is a British/Afro Caribbean dancer and visual artist and Sammy S is an analogue photographer. They have been selected from the open call to present work in public space.

For her own artwork, Chantelle is continuing her series titled Words on Water, an iterative project that sources voices from communities on the value of water. Responses gathered will become a large text-based textile work that creatively responds to the environment and will be displayed at the visitor centre of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Trevor.

Chantelle hopes to connect meaningfully with the industrial heritage of the site through work that explores the colonial implications of the industries once prevalent in the area. Key themes of crossing and passage; connection and language; and land and labour will be explored within a newly developed short film, made in collaboration with filmmaker Leon Bowen on location in Cefn Mawr and close to the aqueduct. The film will show Chantelle carrying a new, large and vibrant textile work featuring patterns taken from local architectural forms combined with African symbolism.

Chantelle seeks to connect to her heritage, searching for an understanding of herself and the world around her. She harnesses the power of water as a symbolic vehicle to explore difficult subjects that affect communities both locally and globally.