The Peniarth Room is a significant exhibition space and thoroughfare in the National Library of Wales. The space includes three screens, allowing the Screen and Sound Archive to showcase items from the collections, and, when needed, complement other works on display.
The current Peniarth exhibition, Asia Through The Lens, was curated by Miidong P. Daloeng, Archives Decolonisation Project Officer at the National Library of Wales. It features remarkable photographs, including some coloured by hand, from the J. R. Harding, Dolaucothi, and the Bourne & Shepherd (Indian Views) albums. The exhibition also includes a selection of items from the moving image archives.
Staff from the Screen and Sound Archive and Broadcast Archive assisted Miidong by drawing up a longlist of related audiovisual items, from which she selected a final compilation – and one full programme – for exhibition. In drawing up the longlist, we focused on ensuring a diversity of content, namely items filmed in diverse locations across Asia, as well as those reflecting the Asian experience in Wales.
Here are the programmes and clips that comprise the exhibition.
In Blwyddyn y Brenin (HTV Wales, 1987), Cenwyn Edwards presents a portrait of Thailand to coincide with the 60th birthday of King Rama IX. Edwards introduces the importance of this particular birthday according to the Thai lunar calendar’s zodiac, and outlines Thailand’s economic flourishing during the King’s long reign. Throughout this clip, we see close-ups of ornate buildings as well as dancers, soldiers, food sellers on river Chao Phraya, and footage of the King himself.
Amser Te (TWW, 1960) was a magazine programme aimed predominantly at women, and presented by Myfanwy Howell. This insert from an episode shows an Indian musical troupe performing two songs in a garden. For the first, two men and a woman sit on a blanket, each playing two sitar and a set of tabla, the woman singing. In the second piece, we focus on two women singing and adding percussion to the music with their hands.
Two clips from the Llangollen Eisteddfod highlight artistry from different parts of Asia. From 1982 (HTV Wales), Maureen Staffer introduces the Chen Chin group, 8 dancers and 6 musicians, from China, who perform what appears to be a guzi yangge dance. The group were the first performers from China to attend the Eisteddfod. And from 2013, Wynne Evans introduces the Jinggaswara National Institute of Tech Choir performing a traditional Indonesian song on the field.
Hong Kong Time (HTV Wales, c. 1981), directed by Clive Atkins, is a Hong Kong Tourist Board film which paints a portrait of the region through various montages, including residents practicing tai chi, city transport, traditional crafts, shopping and food. There is also something of a contrast between tradition and modernity in the film, notable in a montage of dance performances showcasing both Chinese and western styles.
Of particular interest to us and anyone familiar with the archive might be Dan Bach a Kiss (S4C, 2014), a travelogue which tracks our very own Dan Griffiths on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Japan following his favourite band, KISS. The clip included in the exhibition shows some of Dan’s first impressions of Tokyo, including its famous Shibuya crossing.
From an episode of BBC Wales’ The Slate (1994), Eddie Ladd introduces a segment on Cardiff’s thriving bhangra scene, including performance footage of bhangra band 2XL and broader insight from journalist Annand Jasani at the South Asian Arts Festival. Cardiff’s vibrant scene is placed in a wider UK-context, with focus on Apache Indian’s chart success.
A 1984 episode of Y Byd Arall (HTV Wales) uses the original footage from racing driver Clara “Clärenore” Stinnes and cinematographer Carl-axel Söderström’s 2-year journey across the world for Adler cars, 1927 to 1929. For the exhibition, a clip explains that they followed the camel trails through the Gobi desert to reach Kalgan (or Zhangjiakou) in northern China. We see those camels at work, as well as locals of the region both at work and play.
On a second screen in Peniarth is the entirety of Hong Kong Pwy? which was broadcast by S4C in 1997. The documentary follows Min Chan, from Caernarfon, as she visits her extended family for the first time, in Luk Keng and Tai Po. While mostly tracing Min’s experiences and feelings as she visits for the first time, the programme also documents various traditions, life in Kowloon, and the history and relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China.
We hope the selection reflects some of the diversity of Asia and its people, including the diaspora here in Wales. The Asia Through The Lens exhibition can be enjoyed for several more weeks until 28 September, so there’s still plenty of time to visit and enjoy the rich and varied items included.
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