A SCULPTURE by Welsh artist Megan Broadmeadow will be on show on Victoria Dock, Caernarfon on Thursday.
Megan’s inspiration for her work was derived from Swansea’s maritime history and the nautical world, which she initially perceived to be very masculine, noting the roles throughout the whole of the sailing industry to be male roles. In her further investigations she discovered that the nautical tradition holds reverence to the female form. The boat is a ‘she’ vessel, cradling the lives of men in her hull.
To address the balance between the male sailing world and the underlying female influence Megan took logic to it’s extreme and created the ultimate female ship, with a stiletto as a hull and light netting for sails.
The high-heeled shoe represents the femininity issues surrounding the nautical world and the rise of the contemporary shopping phenomenon. The work also links to the Swansea cockle women who traditionally only wore shoes to enter the market, and mainly lived and worked barefoot. Their simple life is now almost a million miles away from the highly groomed lifestyles of today.
Although the work was created in response to the city of Swansea, Megan feels that because the work embodies the transformation of a crucial part of Welsh culture, it is as relevant in Caernarfon as it was in its previous port.
Its visit to Caernarfon has been made possible by means of a partnership between Galeri Caernarfon, The Harbour Trust, Menai Marine and Gwynedd Council.