ADAIN AVION, Wingless Aeroplane Arts Space, Travels Through Wales, Now thru Sep 9

Under the visionary curatorship of Welsh artist Marc Rees, a mobile arts space created from the transformed body of a DC-9 aeroplane – Adain Avion - will travel across Wales this summer igniting the imagination of the nation for the London 2012 Festival. The London 2012 Festival is a 12-week nationwide celebration running from today, 21 June until 9 September 2012 bringing together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK.

The plane will 'nest' in Swansea, Ebbw Vale and Llandudno, between 24 June and 14 July, for three weeks of extraordinary cultural activities reflecting the distinctive history and culture of each area. Adain Avion is one of twelve public art commissions created for Artists taking the lead, the UK Arts Councils' flagship project for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Marc Rees, whose recent work includes the acclaimed site-specific project For Mountain, Sand & Sea for National Theatre Wales, is one of Wales' leading performance and installation artists with an established track record of delivering groundbreaking, provocative and risk-taking work. For Adain Avion, he brings together leading artists from around the globe including Welsh writer Owen Sheers, Swiss choreographer Philippe Saire, Portuguese choreographer Filipa Francisco, Welsh visual artists Owen Griffiths, Stefhan Caddick and Carwyn Evans, Austrian choreographer Willi Dorner, Finnish choreographer Tanja Råman, BAFTA-winning Welsh composer John Hardy and Welsh choreographer Cai Tomos to collaborate with local people for performances, installations, workshops and events at each nesting destination. So far, over 2,000 participants, 50 artists and 65 community groups are involved in the project (the latter includes scout groups, rugby clubs, male voice choirs, brass bands, gymnastic, sailing and book clubs, buskers, harpists and knitting groups).

On arrival in Swansea and Llandudno, the plane will be pulled into place by a team of people gathered from local sports clubs. In Ebbw Vale, it will arrive as part of a large scale nocturnal procession - Ghost Parade. Each destination will then be bombarded with a week of cultural activity. For event highlights see below. All activities will be filmed and stored in the plane's 'black box' recorder and revealed to thousands of visitors at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Llandow (4 – 11 August). Then, as the Olympic Games draw to a close on 12 August, the fuselage will begin its journey home to Spain after depositing the 'black box' at St. Fagans National History Museum where it will form an important contemporary folk archive; an eclectic collective memory to represent the uniqueness of Wales in 2012.

'Avion' was originally discovered and transformed from the wreck of an abandoned aeroplane by Spanish sculptor Eduardo Cajal, who wanted to recycle the fuselage to create a vehicle for cultural and artistic exchange. As Wales' winner of the £230,000 Artist Taking the Lead commission, Rees will bring this extraordinary object from its home in northern Spain to Wales. Throughout the summer of 2012, Adain Avion will serve as a mobile arts space, social sculpture and travelling time capsule, creating a succession of unique snapshots of Welsh culture.

Adain Avion highlights include:

SWANSEA: 24 - 30 June 2012

Outside the National Waterfront Museum, SA1 SRD

Arrival Procession, Sunday 24 June (4pm)
The plane will be pulled into place by members of the Ospreys rugby team. The procession will begin in front of Wales' oldest museum institution, Swansea Museum and end at Wales' latest purpose built one, The National Waterfront Museum.

Vetch Veg
Artist Owen Griffiths is transforming a section of The Vetch (the iconic former home of Swansea City AFC) into an urban utopia. Working with members of the local community, he is creating temporary fruit and vegetable patches over one growing season, transforming the pitch, which if still standing would have celebrated its centenary this year, into edible land. This social artwork will culminate in a flower and produce show held around Adain Avion's nesting site (4pm – 6pm, Friday 29 June) followed by a harvest supper for local residents aboard the plane (7pm, Friday 29 June). www.vetchveg.tumblr.com

World Premiere

Phillippe Saire Residency, Saturday 30 June (11.30am & 3.15pm)
As part of Taliesin's Dance Day Festival, Swiss choreographer Phillippe Saire takes up residence at Victoria Park to devise a brand new live choreography entitled Jack with eight of Swansea Bowling Club's oldest and youngest members. Saire's 25-year choreographic career has seen over a thousand performances of his multi-disciplinary creations all over the world. www.philippesaire.ch

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