Giant patchwork to celebrate music festival

A new commission by international artist Luke Jerram will see Llangollen Bridge feature artwork to mark the launch of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod this weekend.

The world-famous event is returning this year with a diverse new cultural programme, specially commissioned and streamed free of charge, to celebrate the message of international peace and friendship on which it was founded over 70 years ago.

The new artwork, Bridges Not Walls, is a first commission in Wales for Luke, who is known for public art installations around the world including Museum of the Moon and Play Me, I'm Yours street pianos, and who completed his degree at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Over a hundred individually hand-crafted squares of fabric, from people in the local community and around the world, have been submitted for inclusion in the giant patchwork which celebrates the traditional craft of Wales and many participating nations. Made up of 800 one metre-wide squares in total, the artwork will cover both sides of the 60 metre-long bridge, connecting this year's online festival with its physical roots and creating an ever-changing artwork depending on the angle, light and weather conditions - all of which will be reflected in the water beneath.

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has been held in the town every summer since 1947 (with the exception of 2020 when it was postponed due to the Covid pandemic) usually attracting over 4,000 performers from around the world and 35,000 visitors to Llangollen.

This year, the Eisteddfod will be largely held online, with the main programme presented free of charge over the weekend. All performances will be streamed live online via the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod website with no need to book tickets or pre-register. Bridges Not Walls will remain in place on Llangollen Bridge until August 5.