Re-emergence
‘Re-emergence: Concerning memory and place’ was an event/exhibition which took place at Newton House, Dinefwr, Llandeilo from July 7th to August 31st 2012.
This was a site specific work with the main event being a night time projection.
The project is documented on Land2 where the moving images are viewable.


Projection night 2012. Photo credit Frank Menger


The exhibition and moving image is a response to a room, now semi ruined, which was once surrounded by a painted frieze of reclining female figures, known as ‘The Painted Ladies’ during the second world war when Dynevor (now known as Newton House) was requisitioned as a military hospital.
The murals were completely eroded by the elements decades ago, when the courtyard roof caved in after the house had come close to dereliction.
Sarah wished to create a re-enchantment of the derelict space using moving image and projection., she was interested in what Gaston Bachelard describes as the ‘intimate immensity’ of childhood memory, this combined with black and white negatives kindly lent to her by the photographer John Bulmer.
Bulmer had visited Dynevor during the Arts Festivals seasons that were run there from 1966-68 documenting the rehearsals for the music productions. However he also photographed interiors and outbuildings at the same time including, thankfully, these now lost murals.
About Sarah
Sarah Rhys is an interdisciplinary artist and educator living and working between west Wales and Bristol.
Sarah is interested in reinterpretation of landscape, ecologies and folklore with a recent focus on the coracle- a small welsh river vessel.
She curates Oriel Archipelago a sometimes gallery in Llansteffan, West Wales.
@oriel-archipelago
Sarah contributed to ‘HON’ a bilingual publication on Women Artists in Wales, edited by Christine Kinsey and published by The H’mm Foundation.
She is a member of:
Spike Island Associates (Bristol)


Photo © Dan Rea 2025
