New home sought for acclaimed Welsh artist’s sculpture after years in storage

Y Bont, made from around 800 pieces of Carrara marble and Welsh slate, was created for Coleg Harlech in 1969–70.

It is one of only two surviving large-scale wall sculptures from the later part of Jones’s career.

Scene & Word, the organisation established by his family and friends to protect and promote his work, is appealing to schools, colleges, museums and other public venues across Wales that could offer space to display it.

Plans to install a smaller version at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s Lampeter campus were put on hold following changes to the campus’s future.

The group says Lampeter may still offer a long-term home, but it is now widening its search.

Y Bont originally wrapped around a lift shaft in the canteen of a student accommodation block at Coleg Harlech. Measuring 11.6 metres by 4.6 metres, it was dismantled in 2012 to save it ahead of the building’s demolition.

The sculpture was later moved into storage at Lampeter, where it has been cleaned, repaired and packed safely while options for its future have been explored.

Its design draws on the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Branwen Ferch Llŷr, and the story of the giant Bendigeidfran laying himself across a river to allow his army to cross.

A bridge forms the central image, surrounded by natural shapes and geometric patterns reflecting the relationship between nature and humanity. The work also celebrates education, work and service to the community.

Finding a building capable of accommodating the complete sculpture has proved difficult because of its size and weight.

Scene & Word is therefore seeking a venue for a reconfigured version that would retain the central story and essential elements while fitting on a smaller wall.

This would require a space roughly 6.2 metres wide and 2.4 metres high, although the arrangement could be adapted to suit a suitable location.

Peter Jones, a director of Scene & Word, said in the appeal: “Too much of Jonah Jones’s public art has already disappeared. This is a rare chance to ensure that one of his finest works is not lost to future generations.”

The group welcomes suggestions of schools, colleges, museums, civic buildings or community spaces that could accommodate Y Bont.

Anyone with a possible venue can contact [email protected].