The Curious Moaning of Kenfig Burrows (GOST Books, 2019) by Sophy Rickett is inspired by the life and work of Thereza Dillwyn Llewelyn. A little-known 19th century Welsh photographer and astronomer, Dillywn Llewelyn left behind a sprawling family archive that Rickett responds to with her own photographs and texts. 

Rickett’s approach to the archive is thoroughly subjective. In the book, she attempts to establish links between Dillwyn Llewelyn’s remote world of Victorian privilege and use of photography, and her own experience of life, work and photography, in 21st Century Britain. 

The project, which consists of 41 photographic works, combines images Rickett made at locations associated with Dillwyn Llewelyn’s life, studio based works, and other found images. In the text, historically accurate anecdote is combined with a strong sense of Dillwyn Llewelyn’s own voice. 

“Rickett develops her interest in archival practices and how the heritage industry functions, by staging certain entry points through which the past is made visible,” states GOST in the press release. “Moving between photography and text, she explores the limits of these points, understanding the place where a trail goes cold – such as the denial of access, the withholding of permission – as being productive and generative in itself.”

The publication of this book coincides with the exhibition Cupid and The Curious Moaning of Kenfig Burrows, on display at the Glynn Vivian Gallery, Swansea from September 27 – November 24, 2019. 

The Curious Moaning of Kenfig Burrows
By Sophy Rickett
GOST Books