Y CAE/THE FIELD is an ongoing series of exhibitions curated by Valley Ffocws art collective in collaboration with the Ynysybwl Regeneration Partnership (YRP) on the subject of the former Lady Windsor Colliery site. Each exhibitor will take over the six presentation boards located along the Ynysybwl branch of the Taff Trail for two months, including the  creation of publications available from the YRP office.

The current set of photos, called Wonderful Woods, references the site’s pre-industrial land use as the historic name of one of the fields in the area. Since the colliery’s closure, a unique habitat has developed relatively undisturbed on this site. This is not only of interest to ecologists, or even artists, but is much used by the local community and visitors, and these are the focus of this work.

Photographed on film with sustainability in mind, the black and white images were hand processed using natural ingredients including coffee, salt washing soda and even leaves from the trees now growing across the former colliery. The colour film was selected for its soft muted colour range and together with these processing techniques this contributes to the overall soft and painterly style.