Cylch yr Ynys

Cylch yr Ynys translated here as ‘Circle of the Island’ takes as its subject the island of Skokholm off the west Wales coast. One of a small group of bird sanctuaries, this particular site of special scientific interest supports one of the main breeding grounds of the Manx Shearwater, Storm Petrel and Auks.Lying in that region termed ‘Little England Beyond Wales’, the name Skokholm indicates the complex history of successive cultural invasions including that of the Scandinavians in the 8th century.Islands carry projections of ‘Paradise’, an idealisation often at odds with the daily reality of survival.From Skokholm looking west over the Atlantic, the tiny island of Grassholm lies white on one side, glistening white with Gannets. It is purported to be the island referred to in the Mabinogion as ‘Gwales’.There Pryderi and his men spent eighty years in love with feasting and dancing until one of his men opened the forbidden door. They became conscious of their worldly tasks and passed from mythic to historical time through an act of remembrance: ‘cofio’.Images filmed during the passing seasons of ’91 reveal changes in vegetation and bird life observed through a repetition of viewpoints. The text refers to this breaking of myth through the acts of looking and listening. – S.M.