Untitled, Nanzino Pece, C-Type Print, 2005 © Nanzino Pece
A photography exhibition at Swansea’s Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, open until April 16 2006, celebrates 93 years of football at the city’s Vetch stadium.
The Vetch was home to Swansea City and Swansea Town since 1912 but is now derelict and suffering from neglect as it awaits demolition.
Six photographers from the Swansea Institute teamed up with the Swansea AFC Supporters’ Trust to document the most important aspect of the stadium – the football fans.
Untitled, Paul Duerinkx, C-Type Print, 2005 © Paul Duerinkx
The resulting work has provided an unusual slant on the subject, focussing on the energy and passion of the Swansea supporters who have brought the Vetch to life every Saturday for almost a century.
Nanzino Pece’s images are almost abstract, capturing the ground from unusual and sometimes disorientating angles. His colour photographs focus on unexpected details, portraying a distorted perspective of the pitch and stands.
All the photographs on display were taken between August 2004 and May 2005, during the final season of football at The Vetch.
Untitled, Mark Cocks, C-Type Print, 2005 © Mark Cocks
Mark Cocks re-photographed the same areas of the ground over and over, capturing different people as they passed in front of the lens. The images are like pages from a flicker book, following the passage of time at the stadium as various characters come and go.
The photographs taken by Eva Bartussek create a gentler image of the footie fan. Images of supporters at home show them surrounded by treasured memorabilia, with little evidence of the chaos and bustle they create on the terraces on match days.
Nowadays The Vetch is silent and fans make the journey to Swansea’s new Liberty Stadium. However, the Glynn Vivian exhibition provides a poignant nod to the thousands of loyal fans who breathed life into the ground for more than nine decades.
Untitled, Nanzino Pece, C-Type Print, 2005 © Nanzino Pece
Becky Crawford photographed a number of the supporters outside the old stadium as they arrived in time for kick-off. Their expressions tell of their excitement and anticipation as they wait for the match to begin.
And Paul Duerinckx used his photographs to create a narrative about the ground, using street photography and the gestures and glances of the staff and supporters.
But it is Michael Wincott’s photographs that will provide the most enduring and iconic record of the stadium.
Josh and Kevin Davies, Eva Bartussek, C-Type Print, 2005 © Eva Bartussek
Many of his photographs, taken from the outside the ground, place it in the wider cityscape. They will provide evidence, long after the structure has disappeared from the skyline, of its importance to the landscape and to the people of the Swansea.
The exhibition speaks volumes about the passion and interest in the club and its ground.
It also provides a photo journal, documenting the gradual trend of demolishing outdated city-centre stadiums and substituting them with larger, modern facilities on the outskirts of our cities and towns.
