ANDY HEDGECOCK relishes two exhibitions that blur the boundaries between art and community engagement
The stark beauty of Welsh brutalism
SIAN LEWIS recommends a unique book of photography that invites greater appreciation of our urban and industrial landscapes
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews I Am Martin Parr, September Says, The Monkey, and The Gorge
RITA DI SANTO applauds a touching and witty opener that touches a hot topic in Germany: the future of the immigrant population
SIMON PARSONS is discomfited by an unflichingly negative portrait of motherhood and its trials
PAUL FOLEY recommends an extraordinary double bill that packs a punch and leaves you reeling
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a play about AI that results in a deadening disconnect for its audience
SIMON PARSONS applauds an insightful state-of-the-nation play that explores the growing class divide in South Africa
Brutal Wales/Cymru Friwtalaidd
Simon Phipps
September Publishing, £30
WHEN you think of Wales, do you think of the imposing medieval fortresses of Conwy and Caernarfon built by Edward I to subdue those “mere Welshmen” who objected to his invasion of their land? Or perhaps the industrial scars of slate and slag and towering craggy mountains, shrouded in grey? These dramatic views are among the things that draw tourists from around the world to Cymru.
Also to be found, but not in any holiday brochures, are many barely noticed examples of postwar brutalist architecture, which you could argue have a similarly bold aesthetic, that remain largely unloved, neglected and endangered.
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