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Opinion

The new ‘Iron Ring’ sculpture at Flint Castle makes all the same mistakes again

01 Nov 2019 4 minute read
Flint Castle. Picture by Matthew Smith (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Ifan Morgan Jones

It’s two years since the original ‘iron ring’ sculpture at Flint Castle was proposed, with Welsh taxpayers essentially being asked to pay £630,000 for a memorial to their own conquest.

The ‘Iron Ring’, or ‘Anus of the North’ as it was rather unkindly dubbed, was a monument to the ring of castles of the same name that Edward I built when conquering Wales.

Predictably, as a monument to Wales’ conquest, it went down very badly and after a petition signed by over 7,000 signatories, it was scrapped and seemed to be gone for good.

It must be Halloween because the plan has now re-emerged zombie-like. But despite going back to the drawing board for over two years those backing the plan don’t seem to have learnt their lesson.

The new ‘circular’ design, selected from a shortlist, is made up of 300 vertical columns arranged across 12 meters, designed to invoke one of the towers of the castle itself.

I.e. it is an iron ring on its side in 300 parts rather than one.

The previous proposed Iron Ring at Flint Castle

But as with the original Iron Ring, it’s the proposed symbolism of the sculpture that’s the real problem. The Bristol-based sculptor said this new sculpture would celebrate the lives of the labourers and craftsmen who built the castle and in so doing “were responsible for the creation and growth of Flint as a town”.

It seems quite incredible that after receiving such a poor reaction the last time, Cadw and others have gone and proposed essentially the same design with the same symbolism again.

The only difference this time is that rather than paying homage to the castles themselves, they are creating a monument to those who built them instead.

 

Perspective

The same rather obvious point remains as last time – you do not celebrate the building of the castles themselves, which were tools of oppression and exploitation.

As Welsh historian, Professor Martin Johnes said in response to the new sculpture: “You think someone might have learnt after last time. If you are going to build a memorial or sculpture at a place of conquest and colonialism it has to be dedicated to the victims.”

We do not need monuments to Wales’ colonisation, because the castles themselves remain as powerful reminders of their history, purpose and the efforts of those who built them.

You don’t need to build a sculpture that mirrors one of the towers of the castle when those towers are still standing.

It’s no surprise therefore that a petition has quickly sprung up to oppose this new installation too.

I honestly do not think this is the artist’s fault, whose work overall seems excellent. The artist has previously worked alongside poet Rhys Iorwerth to create an anti-colonial work of art at Caernarfon Castle.

It is Cadw whose job it was to offer that Welsh input and a different historical perspective and be aware of these sensitivities when picking the winning design.

This is ultimately a matter of perspective.  We can continue telling Wales’ history from an outside, colonial perspective, where Wales’ own conquest was a positive development.

On the other, we can tell Wales’ history as experienced by the people of Wales itself. For them, the Norman invasion was not a pleasant experience.

The proposed monument by John Meirion Morris. Picture of Llyn Celyn by Richard Szwejkowski (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Perhaps this tendency to spend lavishly on monuments to our own conquest wouldn’t be as galling if we were not so lacking in monuments to our own national history.

Just 30 miles away from Flint castle is the home of Owain Glyndwr at Sycharth – marked with nothing but a tiny information board.

All that marks the drowning of Tryweryn is a wall that can easily be painted over or knocked down by any vandal that happens to be passing.

This is despite the fact that a fantastic monument has already been designed by a world-renowned sculptor. It would cost £250,000 – the same amount as Alun Cairn’s gigantic ‘Prince of Wales Bridge’ signs.

It seems that public art that tells Welsh history from a Welsh perspective is too much to ask for. But even when there’s a huge outcry the first time, monuments to Wales’ conquest must go ahead, come what may.


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Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
4 years ago

It’s sad as a nation we’ve been so subjugated and tied to England over the past few hundred years we forgotten our own history and celebrate being conquered. It feels like Wales is locked in a perpetual Stockholm syndrome. Just because it’s been a long time since the Welsh ruled themselves does not mean it can not be achieved again and the concept be abandoned. Westminster has failed us, it’s time we looked seriously at self determination and start celebrating what it is to be Welsh, not what it is to be colonised.

Alan Thomas
Alan Thomas
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve Duggan

I couldn’t say it any better my mate. Cymraeg bus wicken

David Eifion Williams
David Eifion Williams
4 years ago

Let’s celebrate the Nation Wales today, not former conquests.

Alan Thomas
Alan Thomas
2 years ago

Easy to say for someone who obviously doesn’t care about Wales. We are still occupied. Dafty

Anthony Mitchell
Anthony Mitchell
4 years ago

A disc cutter will sort this out, no problem.

Anthony Mitchell
Anthony Mitchell
4 years ago

Here is a petition to stop it, let’s acheive what we did last time.

http://chng.it/BshbdKhtCZ

Hywel Jones
Hywel Jones
4 years ago

Is it worth this having a petition on the Assembly petition page also?

http://www.assembly.wales/en/gethome/e-petitions/Pages/e-petitions.aspx

Jeremy Turner
Jeremy Turner
4 years ago

Which national organisations commissioned this insult? Obviously Cadw. Who else. They should be asked to explain.

Nia Jones
Nia Jones
4 years ago

Mae angen gofyn os oes gan y rhai sy’n rhedeg Cadw y cymhwysterau cywir i wneud eu gwaith. O ble mae’r arian yn dod ar gyfer y cerflun a pham bod angen y ffath beth? Mae angen iddynt hefyd fynd ar gwrs i ddysgu am hanes Cymru, h.y. o safbwynt y Cymry ac nid o safbwynt Lloegr.

Jim Dunckley
Jim Dunckley
4 years ago

Cadw should be targetted and national attention drawn to their Colonialist bias. Where is their HQ?

Jonathan Gammond
Jonathan Gammond
4 years ago

The majority of castles in the UK were about conquest and showing who is in charge; whether at Dover, Kenilworth, Shrewsbury, Flint, Caernarfon or Carrickfergus. Then there are those castles that were for show or as status symbols but even these often had a military role. The challenge is how to interpret these places. There are at least two sides to every story and it is rarely simple. The issue with these artistic schemes is that they succeed in attracting the publicity which is their purpose but not quite with the results intended. Perhaps what Flint needs is not one… Read more »

Richard Bramhall
Richard Bramhall
4 years ago

Well done, CADW, for realising that Cymru needs a new Cofiwch campaign.

Anthony Mitchell
Anthony Mitchell
4 years ago

Yes mate! We need to organise more than ever.
We need to break free from the mental ring of iron and rise as a nation.

pete
pete
4 years ago

The castles were designed by Normans and built by English stone masons, welsh lived beyond the walls in mud huts

Alan Thomas
Alan Thomas
2 years ago

I’m totally dismayed that cadw has took such a stance is n celebrating the conquest and subjugation of the of the Welsh which goes on to this day. I have been submitted to Welsh racism recently and When I made a complaint the officer in n duty laughed. Would he have laughed at any other race on complaining? The fact of the matter is if someone wanted to put up a monument to Hitler in France or king George in new York then there would be an outcry but this is only Wales after all.

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