Cefyn Burgess Adre

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-Well, this is an unusual

-and enormous house.

-I can't wait to meet the owner.

-Let's go and hunt for clues.

-This person is famous for his work

-in textile design.

-He's also well-known

-for his weaving.

-This is all his own beautiful work.

-There are many

-foreign items in this house.

-Artworks from China...

-..India, Egypt, Russia,

-all over the world.

-This person

-has travelled extensively.

-Chapels are close

-to this person's heart...

-..and he's famous

-for his stitch drawings of them.

-Textile artist

-and designer Cefyn Burgess...

-..lives in this incredible house.

-The first chapel I ever drew

-was my home chapel.

-Its closure

-was the starting point...

-..for me to draw chapels

-and keep a record them.

-You can see history

-and the fabric of Welsh society...

-..in one small building.

-Thank you

-for inviting me here, Cefyn.

-I've never sat in a round room

-like this one before.

-It was one of the main things

-that attracted me to this house.

-It's nice to live in a tower.

-Tell me about yourself.

-You're from Bethesda originally.

-What do they call people

-who grew up in the village itself?

-Howgets. That's the name given

-to people from the village.

-I was born and raised in Bethesda.

-I wasn't even born in hospital

-in Bangor - I was born in the house.

-I went to Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen

-and I studied Art and Scripture.

-I went to Manchester

-and graduated in Woven Textiles.

-I then did an MA in Textiles

-at the Royal College Of Art, London.

-Did you become a professional artist

-straight from college?

-I had a workshop in Bethnal Green.

-I weaved blankets and created

-crockery for London shops.

-I then got a chance

-to be a weaver...

-..at a silk mill in Macclesfield

-called Paradise Mill.

-I worked there

-for around three years.

-I then realized there was a loom

-at Trefriw Woollen Mills...

-..which produced wonderful blankets.

-I won an award from the Worshipful

-Company of Weavers in London...

-..to work on a restoration project.

-That's what brought me back

-to North Wales...

-..and to the Conwy Valley.

-You went to Trefriw to restore

-and recreate the whole mill?

-No, not the whole mill!

-It was one very special loom.

-That Jacquard loom is now

-at the museum in Drefach Felindre.

-You now have a workshop in Ruthin.

-You now have a workshop in Ruthin.

-

-Yes.

-I've been based in the town

-of Ruthin for eight years.

-When I moved to this house,

-I worked in the cellar...

-..but I wanted to open it out,

-so I moved to the centre in Ruthin.

-Has your work changed

-over the years?

-It's evolved rather than changed.

-I'm someone who thinks about

-one thing and then has new ideas...

-..and changes direction.

-Sometimes, weaving textiles

-for furniture is my world...

-..then I'll slowly

-gravitate towards blankets...

-..and find myself

-returning to the chapels.

-It changes from one thing

-to another, depending on how I feel.

-These must be examples of your work.

-These must be examples of your work.

-

-Yes.

-I'm really looking forward to this.

-Can we go for a snoop

-around the house with you?

-Yes, of course.

-You're more than welcome.

-Cefyn, does the sun always shine

-like this in Deganwy?

-Yes. Deganwy

-has its own microclimate.

-It's really nice.

-This is an incredible house.

-There's something grand about it

-and it looks almost Grecian.

-Yes, there's a touch of Greece here.

-This is an Arts and Crafts house.

-It's a huge property.

-Do you own the whole building?

-No, it's divided into four units.

-I own two of them

-and the other two are flats.

-It was divided up in the 1950s.

-I'd hate to have to clean it all!

-It's a big task.

-It's a big task.

-

-I'll check!

-Can we take a look?

-Can we take a look?

-

-Yes, of course.

-The light flooding

-into this lounge is lovely.

-Yes, and light streams in

-from dawn till dusk.

-It's truly lovely.

-That light fitting

-suits the ceiling rose perfectly.

-Oddly enough,

-it isn't original to the house.

-The ceiling rose is original...

-..but a friend of mine

-found the light fitting...

-..when he was clearing his attic.

-It was black with dust.

-It's perfect.

-It looks like

-it's always been there.

-Are the pictures on the wall

-examples of your work?

-Yes - I did them

-when I was at school.

-You did those at school? Wow!

-You did those at school? Wow!

-

-Yes, and they took hours!

-That was only a couple of years ago!

-What about the furniture?

-They're all gifts

-or brilliant finds.

-If I like a piece of furniture,

-I find a place for it.

-Through that door or this one?

-Where shall we go next?

-Around the side to the kitchen or

-straight ahead to the dining room.

-Let's go to the kitchen.

-Step this way.

-This is your kitchen.

-Hello, are you alright?

-Hello, are you alright?

-

-She's looking for her lunch.

-Who does the cooking?

-Not me!

-Not me!

-

-Not you?

-I get the feeling

-you want to move on swiftly!

-You just pass through the kitchen.

-Are those your pictures?

-Yes - pictures of crockery

-and Welsh dressers.

-I painted those

-when I was at college.

-I looked at patterns

-and traditional furniture.

-I gathered ideas and information.

-Let's go through.

-Where next? The dining room.

-A cosy little room.

-Yes, and I adore the table

-and those chairs.

-Yes, they really suit the house

-and the colours.

-There's a foreign influence here.

-Yes. There are things

-from my travels in here.

-Are those stamps?

-Yes - they're stamps.

-When you go backpacking

-around India...

-..for two or three months...

-..you don't want

-to carry bulky keepsakes home.

-That's why

-we went to the post office...

-..and chose stamps

-which we thought were fitting.

-We got the post office

-to stamp the date on them...

-..and we had a memento of our trip.

-That's a nice idea.

-Did this come from India too?

-Yes - I brought back a few textiles.

-Do you find yourself carrying out

-research wherever you go?

-Do you always look at textiles,

-patterns and weaving techniques?

-I'm interested in it, of course,

-but as it's my job when I'm home...

-..I try to distance myself from it

-when I'm on holiday.

-Having said that,

-when I see something remarkable...

-..I do enjoy

-bringing it home with me.

-This is a collection box.

-It came from a church.

-There's money in there.

-I'll put a coin in too

-to give you good luck.

-On the first floor,

-there's a bathroom...

-..an office and a guest bedroom.

-This lovely round bedroom

-has some incredible views.

-I expected to find

-a Welsh blanket...

-..or an example

-of your work on the bed.

-But I'd say this blanket is Indian.

-Yes, but I could never improve

-on the stitching, the colour...

-..and the tiny mirrors

-on that lovely blanket.

-Do you use

-a variety of blankets on your bed?

-Yes, I swap them over

-all the time.

-This is so delicate and special,

-I'm scared the cats will scratch it.

-Do you collect textiles

-because they're valuable?

-Are they works of art to you?

-Are they works of art to you?

-

-Yes - they are works of art.

-They're valuable,

-but not in a monetary sense.

-I don't look at them like that.

-Join me after the break to hear more

-about Cefyn and his work.

-We'll also visit his studio

-and shop in Ruthin.

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-What a cute little car!

-Mr Bean's car!

-Ooh! What a lovely interior.

-Welcome back.

-Cefyn and I are leaving Deganwy and

-heading to Ruthin in the little car.

-Why the chapels?

-It started

-when we lost some chapels back home.

-My spiritual homes rather than

-my physical home, if you like.

-That's where my soul called home.

-I was raised there.

-At first, I just wanted

-to keep a record of them...

-..because I wanted

-to cling onto them.

-It's now more about the way

-the stone used to build chapels...

-..highlights the colour of the soil

-in that area.

-They got the stone for building

-chapels from the ground, after all.

-The stones they use to build chapels

-reflect the colours of Wales.

-Chapels are windows on a huge

-variety of aspects of Welsh life.

-That's why I'm interested in them.

-What sorts of chapels

-have you chosen as subjects?

-I'll happily draw any chapel.

-I've seen some chapels

-that are "blind".

-There are no windows

-on the front of the building.

-I have to think long and hard

-about those and make sense of them.

-I either draw them from the side...

-..or look

-for other special features.

-That was amazing.

-Just standing and watching

-is therapeutic.

-This is the process.

-It starts with a sketch.

-You choose a chapel, and this one

-happens to be in Patagonia...

-..and you sketch what you see.

-What's the next step?

-I'm an artist

-but I sew rather than use paint.

-This is my paintbrush or my pencil.

-You set out the colour and the lines

-on this piece of fabric.

-Yes - it's white cotton.

-I use this small sewing machine

-to do that.

-Every machine

-sews in a different way.

-I use that one

-to create these lines.

-They trace the line of the horizon

-or the line of the land.

-They're on the horizontal.

-They're on the horizontal.

-

-And then you add the colour.

-It matches the palette perfectly.

-Is that paint?

-Is that paint?

-

-No - it's ink and dye.

-I apply it with a roller.

-The roller cuts across the marks...

-..and gives you more of a sense

-of texture on the surface.

-It runs in parallel with the sketch

-so it's a matter of interpretation.

-I must reproduce those marks

-on the fabric.

-These are the stones we see here?

-These are the stones we see here?

-

-Yes - the gravel and grit.

-The ground is dusty and rocky.

-Sorry. I'll be quiet

-and let you concentrate.

-Don't make a mistake because of me!

-Don't make a mistake because of me!

-

-Once I start sewing, I can't stop.

-Off we go.

-The aim is to recreate what I did

-with the pencils or pens...

-..when I was over there.

-I copy my movements...

-..as I try to replicate the feeling

-I had when I was sketching.

-You transport yourself back

-to that moment when you were there.

-Yes, and creating marks.

-I enjoy creating the type of marks

-you see here.

-I can't believe you can create trees

-with a sewing machine.

-I can't sew a button!

-The way I now work

-with a sewing machine...

-..is very close

-to the way I work with a pencil.

-Maybe my sketching

-is very similar to the way I sew!

-I'm not sure which came first

-any more!

-They've melded into one.

-You have two units,

-one being the workshop we just saw.

-That's where you sew

-and do all the things you do.

-Is your second unit

-a shop, essentially?

-Yes.

-I outgrew the nest.

-The nest became too small for you.

-The nest became too small for you.

-

-Yes, like a cuckoo.

-I needed storage space...

-..for big commissions such as one

-from Liverpool Cathedral.

-I had to find

-a clean and secure space.

-I moved the furniture in here

-and that opened up the space.

-Someone brings a chair to you

-and you cover it and restore it?

-You cover furniture

-with your textiles, do you?

-Thanks to Eryl, who works with me.

-He repairs and restores furniture.

-He's a real craftsman.

-I'm very fortunate to work with him

-and with Elen, who's a seamstress.

-We're a team.

-I create the textiles...

-..and experts

-help me put the work together.

-It's all about teamwork.

-You designed and created

-these patterns...

-..and took them to a mill

-to be woven?

-Did you designed all these?

-Did you designed all these?

-

-From scratch.

-How do you

-come up with a new design?

-I keep close to my roots.

-This design is called Blodau Pesda

-and it was inspired...

-..by the tradition

-of cutting patterns into slate...

-..in the Ogwen Valley.

-An element of safeguarding

-traditions comes into my work.

-I research and develop patterns...

-..but paper and a pencil

-brings them to life every time.

-We're back in your lovely home,

-after our jaunt to Ruthin.

-This pair is one of the three items

-you'd rescue...

-..if the house were on fire.

-Yes - a pair of pictures

-of the Carneddi area.

-I played on these streets

-as a boy...

-..and my family

-has lived here for centuries.

-We went to Sunday school

-at Bryn Teg chapel...

-..and I was christened here,

-at Carneddi chapel.

-Mam worshipped there.

-This cluster of houses

-and two chapels...

-..has been a big part of my family's

-history in the Ogwen Valley.

-Do your relatives still live there?

-Yes. I come from a big family.

-More of a tribe than a family!

-I won't badmouth you in Bethesda...

-..because you're related

-to everyone there!

-What other items would you rescue?

-The second item

-is directly linked to this one.

-I'll take you downstairs to see it.

-Your second treasure is in this box.

-Yes, and this Bible box

-is a true family treasure.

-Inside the box

-is the old Bible itself.

-A very old Bible.

-Yes, it's an old edition.

-The wonderful thing about it...

-..is the inscription between the

-Old Testament and the New Testament.

-It's fascinating for my family

-and for the Bethesda area.

-"One year's money

-paid on the 15th day of July, 1826.

-"W Parry, Llandegfan, who works

-in Cae Braich Y Cafn Quarry."

-Braich Y Cafn Quarry was

-the old name for Penrhyn Quarry...

-..so this was in the days

-before the Penrhyn family.

-This is a receipt for one shilling.

-The other fascinating thing about it

-is the date.

-1826, Llandegfan.

-The Menai Suspension Bridge

-was opened that year.

-That meant that Anglesey people

-could walk to Arfon.

-He left Llandegfan to move to the

-Ogwen Valley to work in the quarry.

-In what year was this Bible printed?

-In what year was this Bible printed?

-

-In the 18th century.

-I don't remember exactly,

-17 something.

-It's been in your family since 1826.

-It's been in your family since 1826.

-

-Yes, I think so.

-It was in my great-aunt's house

-and now it's in my possession...

-..ready to be passed down

-to the next generation.

-Is this your third item?

-Is this your third item?

-

-Yes - this is it.

-The third treasure, if you like.

-Tell me a bit about it.

-Tell me a bit about it.

-

-It's an old oil lamp.

-It's not valuable but it came from

-my grandmother's home in Carneddi.

-I used it during the Miners' Strike.

-There were power cuts

-and we were plunged into darkness.

-I did my homework

-by the light of this lamp.

-My mother also did her schoolwork

-by the light of this lamp.

-So we had a shared history of doing

-schoolwork by the light of the lamp.

-It's a treasure to me

-because of that history.

-Good boy for doing your homework!

-Good boy for doing your homework!

-

-I didn't always do it!

-I've had a lovely time

-in your home and at your studio.

-Thank you very much, Cefyn.

-Thank you very much, Cefyn.

-

-You're welcome. Any time.

-I had a great morning

-with Cefyn Burgess.

-Thank you for your company.

-See you next time...

-..when I snoop around

-the home of another famous face.

-Goodbye.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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