It could be the dramatic landscapes. It might be the heavy industry. Maybe it’s in the water. But something about Neath Port Talbot inspires people round here to create beautiful things. Even though a lot of the heavy industries have disappeared, the societies, choirs and bands that were formed by the workers still flourish.
We might not export much coal and steel these days, but we export plenty of creative talent to the world. Rob Brydon, Katherine Jenkins, Michael Sheen, Anthony Hopkins – all ours. The late great Richard Burton? Born in Pontrhydyfen, son of a coal miner.
Our various arts venues are a focal point for showcasing both home-grown and international talent across all the art forms including theatre, cinema, music, comedy, dance and the visual arts.
Our latest ‘art installation’ created quite a stir when it arrived in December 2018, probably because no one had actually commissioned it. Days before Christmas, a Taibach household woke up to find that their humble garage had been transformed overnight with a mural by the mysterious, mischievous street-artist Banksy. ‘Season’s Greetings’ has since been bought by a private collector.
Neath Port Talbot is Wales’s creative furnace.
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