A full illustrated study of the work of five multi-media artists, namely Peter Bodenham, Neale Howells, Eddie Ladd, Megan Lloyd and Daniel Morden, comprising an appreciation of how these different artists use words and images, dance and movement together with recycled materials in highly imaginative ways.

Astudiaeth ddarluniadol lawn o waith pum artist aml-gyfryngol, sef Peter Bodenham, Neale Howells, Eddie Ladd, Megan Lloyd a Daniel Morden, yn cynnwys gwerthfawrogiad o'r modd y maent yn defnyddio geiriau a delweddau, dawns a symud ynghyd â defnyddiau wedi'u hailgylchu mewn ffyrdd hynod ddychmygus.

Sideways Glances is a collection of essays about artists who work a little off the beaten track. Brought together by editor Jeni Williams, the five artists showcased in the book aren't influenced by the metropolis and its hustle and bustle, but rather by the quiet of the corners of Wales they inhabit. Interestingly, that is all they really have in common and is the point of the collection.

Jeni Williams's self-stated aim is to take a sideways glance at what is going on culturally just a little bit below the surface and a little removed from the usual hubs of artistic activity. In reality, of course, artists have often chosen to work away from the mainstream; it's those that write about them that are more often then not firmly rooted in a more metropolitan culture. I suspect that's the truth of things here too, a largely metropolitan look at artists working away from the cultural centre.

What is unusual is the layout of the collection. These aren't simply essays about five disparate artists, they are collaborations with them. This makes the book far less of an examination of working practices and artistic influences and far more of a work of art in its own right. That is where the interest lies. It is, in the words of one of the artists, Eddie Ladd, ‘a performance on paper’.

The five artists included in the collection are performance artist Eddie Ladd, graphic artist Megan Lloyd, international storyteller Daniel Morden, maker Peter Bodenham, and Neale Howells who makes work from recycled materials. Editor Jeni Williams is a cultural critic who teaches art history and literature at Trinity College, Carmarthen.

Michael Nobbs

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.