Katie Paterson: First There is a Mountain

First There is a Mountain - West Shore Beach, Llandudno, in collaboration with the artist
Saturday 19 May 2019 - 4.30pm - 6.30pm (please note change of time)
Meeting Point: Boating Pool, West Shore Beach

Katie Paterson: First There is a Mountain from Katie Paterson on Vimeo.

We are pleased to be one of 25 arts venues collaborating on a nationwide participation event which will take place around the UK coastline over British Summer Time 2019.

The project will visit West Shore in Llandudno on the afternoon of Sunday 19 May 2019 and is the sixth stop in the series of events which starts in Whitstable, Kent and travels via Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and South Wales on its way to North Wales.

The events are part of artist Katie Paterson's 'First There is a Mountain' artwork which involves the building of miniature sand mountain replicas of some of the world's most famous mountains using specially designed sets of 'buckets and spades'. Each set includes a scale model of Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Shasta (USA), Mount Fuji (Asia), Stromboli (Europe), and Uluru (Oceania).

Local groups have been invited to take part in creating the sand mountains on the beach, with their unique participation at each location essential to the evolution of the artwork and the overall experience. The public are also invited to watch the artwork unfold and later to see it be washed away by the tide.

Twenty-five new pieces of writing have been commissioned to accompany the artwork's journey, one for each location. The texts will form a digital anthology, bringing together writing by celebrated authors, poets, geologists, earth scientists, ecologists, and art writers. Writer, broadcaster and columnist, Ian Vince, has produced a piece about the geological and industrial heritage of the nearby mountain ranges and will read this aloud to the audience as part of the Llandudno event. Ysgol Tudno teacher, Derfel Thomas, will be reading a Welsh language version of the text.

“It’s great to be part of a national project with artist Katie Paterson and we’re looking forward to seeing what Llandudno participants can do. We’re lucky to have such a beautiful beach as the West Shore and this will be a perfect location for the project.” - MOSTYN Engagement Manager, Jane Matthews

"From early childhood we understand that sand marks time. 'First There is a Mountain' builds upon this concept, making us aware of the erosion of mountain rocks over millennia, rock shifting across Earth through the evolution of continents, forming unique fingerprints of sand across our modern coastline. The artwork invites people to slow down and consider the interconnectedness of the world, its immensity conveyed in miniature. Connecting the archipelago via one water, one tide, one sand - carrying mountains of sand across time. The extraordinary existing in ordinary things, everywhere." - Artist Katie Paterson

For more information on Katie Paterson's First There is a Mountain and its journey around the UK visit the project's website at www.firstthereisamountain.com