Dyddiau Du / Dark Days
The first showing in Cardiff of the work created by John Cale – the invited artist for Wales at the 53rd Biennale of Art in Venice 2009.
Cale is primarily known for his experimental approach to music, from being a founding member of the seminal Velvet Underground in New York to the present day.
In Dyddiau Du / Dark Days he has made an audio-visual work that is a reflection on the pain and power of a cultural inheritance and its contradictions and meaning for him.
The installation takes the form of four episodes in film and sound across five screens. It was made in several locations in Wales including the unoccupied former family home in Garnant, Ammanford and Dinorwig Quarry, Llanberis and with the collaborations of a choir and young orchestral players.
"This piece represents an extraordinary journey for John Cale. Through it he shares with his audiences the way memory and experience helps him come to terms with a kind of return home."
Mike Tooby, Director of Learning, Programmes and Development at Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales
"Cale is an artist with a global resonance. He has made a compelling multi-media work engaging deeply with his personal take on Wales and his inheritance, in stunning and moving images, sound, words and music."
David Alston, Arts Director of Arts Council of Wales
John Cale, born 9 March 1942, is a Welsh musician, songwriter and record producer and is best known for his work in rock music, but has worked in a variety of styles over the years.
Cale was born in Garnant in the heavily industrial Amman Valley and Welsh is his first language. Having discovered a talent for piano, he studied music at the University of London and travelled to the USA to continue his musical training, thanks to the help and influence of Aaron Copland.
A founding member of the Velvet Underground, Cale is a profile musician, film composer and producer of numerous albums. Cale's career has been one of continuous experimentation, shifting between numerous art forms and avoiding an exact definition for his creative practice.
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