Unboxed festival in Wales to start amid concerns

Art will be projected onto a Welsh castle as a festival celebrating creativity begins.

Music will also be performed outside Caernarfon Castle, in Gwynedd, as the first event, About Us, starts on Wednesday.

It is part of Unboxed, which has been dubbed a "Festival of Brexit".

The festival's Sam Hunt, rejected this tag, saying it was about showing creative people's "ambition" across the UK.

Others have said they are uncomfortable with the festival's origins, in an area that voted strongly against Brexit.

It was commissioned in 2018 by ex-PM Theresa May to be a nationwide festival of creativity following the UK leaving the EU.

Caernarfon choir Côr Dre, defended its decision to take part, saying it was "nothing to do with Brexit" or promoting "Britishness".

According to the organisers of About Us, the event is supposed to "immerse audiences in the history of the universe" through animation, poetry and music.

Its score is by composer Nitin Sawhney and will be performed in Caernarfon bilingually by Côr Dre, Côr Kana and Côr Eifionydd.

Côr Dre's secretary, Jamie Dawes-Hughes, said he was looking forward to being able to sing again following the relaxing of Covid rules.

"That's the best thing, not to mention the projection on the castle, the lights and everything else," he said.

The choir has defended itself from critics of Unboxed who see it as a Brexit celebration.

Mr Dawes-Hughes said: "It is nothing to do with Britishness either. It's about the universe, it's about all of us.

"We did have to consider if this is the right thing for the choir, but the choir is there to promote the language, and this is a new piece of music in Welsh, which fits right in with what Côr Dre does."

Videos of poems written and performed by local schoolchildren have been shown in Caernarfon centre.

Poetry Society director, Judith Palmer, said children came up with ideas in workshops.

She said: "It was a good opportunity for them and it's important to invest in our literary heritage and get young people writing and appreciating the language and what they're capable of."

Caernarfon resident Sue, who did not want to give her surname, said she would not be attending because of her opposition to Brexit.

"Lots have sussed it's a Brexit thing, and are like, no," she said.

This month, a UK government report called Unboxed "vague and ripe for misinterpretation" its £120m cost an "irresponsible use of public money".

Unboxed programme director, Sam Hunt, said it was "unfair" these remarks were made said before the festival plans went public.

He rejected the "Festival of Brexit" tag, saying "it was £120m put aside to invest in creativity".

"We opened the show, and the whole of Unboxed in Paisley, and we're closing it with a National Theatre Wales project in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

"I think that speaks to the ambitions of Unboxed."

About Us is in Caernarfon until 5 April. It is the first of five Unboxed projects that will be in Wales.