City Stories: Photographs of Cardiff 1969-1977

Published 11/08/2022 | Last Updated 05/10/2023 | Reading Time minutes

Pete Davis

Sponsored by Elin Jones MS

Dates: 1 October – 8 December

Location: Futures Gallery, Pierhead

Splott, Cardiff, 1969

Selenium toned, gelatin / silver prints

Photo by Pete Davis

Pete Davis’ photographs of Splott were taken at a time when the steelworks was closing and the area was being redeveloped. As one of the main employers in Cardiff, the steelworks’ closure began a transition that would see a part of the city disappear forever.

Having grown up in Splott, Pete returned to the area on numerous occasions during this period to capture the environment:

“Conscious of the very major changes and the upheaval to long-term residents, I would record the street life and the gradual decay of the urban landscape that I had regarded as home until the mid-1960s.”

Beyond Splott, the wider city was also changing. Coming out of the post-war era, Cardiff was developing a new infrastructure which transformed the way people navigated and utilised the city.

Over fifty years later, Pete’s photographs give new audiences the opportunity to reflect on a time and place that changed both visually and culturally.

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The documentary photography of Dr Pete Davis can be seen in many national and international art collections. These include the National Library of Wales, Museo Genna Maria, Sardinia, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. For eighteen years Pete was senior lecturer in Documentary Photography at the University of Wales, Newport and for nine years the course leader. Pete has represented Wales twice at Festival Interceltique, France and is a past recipient of the Wakelin Award for Welsh artists.

City Stories has been supported by Found Gallery, Brecon and Silverprint ltd.