A south Wales gallery has received funding from the British Film Institute to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of films in its collection.
Swansea Council’s Glynn Vivian Art Gallery has been selected as one of the recipients of the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery Funding, for artworks in its Permanent Collection.
These works date from 1992 to 2024 and have been produced by the following contemporary artists: Hetain Patel, Cinzia Mutigli, José Alejandro Restrepo, Tim Davies, Shimabuku, Peter Finnemore, Anthony Shapland, Jonathan Anderson, Helen Sear, David Cushway, Yingmei Duan, Ingrid Murphy and Alexander Duncan.
Working with the artists, a time-based media conservator, and through access awareness training, the project aims to produce audio descriptions and BSL interpretation to highlight any conservation requirements and widen access to the collection.
Another strand of the project is the creation of a screening area at the gallery, which will allow access to these screen-based works even when they are not on display.
They will be shown within a temporary exhibition via a dedicated conservation station, and appointments can be made by emailing the gallery.
As part of this project, the team at Glynn Vivian will be reviewing archival footage and digitising relevant material of historic significance such as gallery-specific recordings (exhibition walkthroughs, artist interviews and performance recordings).
Starting in April 2026, there will be a six-week learning programme for young people, working with an artist and a screen work from the collection.
The project will end with five free accessible screenings of works from the collection featuring newly created BSL or audio descriptions in Glynn Vivian Art Gallery’s lecture theatre.
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