Art @ the Airport
The inaugural Art @ event took place at Cardiff Airport on Thursday 9 October.
The evening featured showcase performances from students of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, including music from the Teddy Smith Big Band and excerpts from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Speaking at the event, Rachel Jones, Chief Executive of A&B Cymru, said: “We are delighted to be helping to increase access to Wales’ vibrant and plentiful arts scene through Art @. The initiative is all about raising awareness of the variety and depth of artistic talent in Wales, by taking it to new places and new audiences across Wales.
“We will be staging events at venues you would not normally expect to associate with the arts, and I am very pleased that, as one of our newest key business members, Cardiff Airport has agreed to host our inaugural performance.”
Debra Barber, Managing Director at Cardiff Airport, said: “It’s a real pleasure to welcome Arts & Business Cymru to Cardiff Airport and to be the first venue outside of the Senedd to host the Art @ event. We’ve made a number of changes and improvements at Cardiff Airport over the last year to improve the customer journey, so this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the new-look terminal to a local business audience whilst enjoying an evening of performance by the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. We’re very much looking forward to welcoming guests and hope that the evening will be a great success.”
A&B Cymru also used the event to launch a new competition, open to art and design students across Wales, who are being invited to submit designs for one of three giant ostrich sculptures to be installed at Cardiff Airport. The competition marks the beginning of a new partnership between A&B Cymru, Cardiff Airport and Anna’s Welsh Zoo in Pembrokeshire which is owned by former TV presenter and designer Anna Ryder Richardson.
Rachel Jones said: “The launch of our competition will also shine a spotlight on the next generation of talented Welsh artists and designers. The winning designs will be installed at one of Wales’ most significant gateways, making a clear statement of the creativity and imagination on offer in this country to every visitor that arrives.”
Image by Glenn Edwards
