A new project: Aberarth Fish Traps

If you drive along the coastal road from Llanon to Aberarth at low tide, you may glimpse several large mysterious stone shapes along the shoreline. Having lived in the area all my life, I have always been aware of these structures, and, at some point, I learnt they were medieval fish traps, once owned by the monks of Strata Florida Abbey. The traps worked by channelling fish into stone pools; as the tide receded, the water was released through sluice gates and the fish were then caught using nets.

Recent walks along the coastal path have renewed my curiosity in these structures, and, for some time. I have been considering creating a body of work inspired by them. They present a particular challenge, though, as they are elusive by nature – revealed only at the lowest tides and difficult to distinguish up close, where they merge with the seaweed-covered rocks of the shoreline.

You may be wondering: Why the fascination? Visually, at first glance, there isn’t really a great deal to see, perhaps no more exciting than a dry-stone wall, but maybe that is it, it is the ambiguity and mystery of this place that has me interested! 

I have visited the site many times and walked over the traps, but they were difficult to distinguish at ground level. The clearest view was from the coastal path, looking down from the clifftop, although this vantage point revealed only a few of the traps and was not as high as I would have liked.

This curiosity led me to wonder how the traps might look when viewed directly from above. To explore this, I met local drone enthusiast Mark Owen at Aberarth during one of the lowest tides of the year. I was confident Mark would be able to capture aerial photographs and video of the site using the drone, which I hoped would provide valuable insight to inform my work.

At first, he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. From the shore, the traps were almost invisible against the reef, and, for a moment, I worried I had imagined them altogether. However, a curious local, enjoying a cigarette and the view from a nearby bench, assured us they did exist and we were on the right track, so we took another look. This time, Mark attached his phone to the setup, allowing me to see exactly what he was seeing through his goggles, and I spotted them immediately. Through Mark’s expertise, we captured some excellent photographs and video footage of around seven differently shaped structures.

Part of my project will involve documenting these traps, including their forms and locations, through a series of prints. Beyond this, they will act as a point of departure for exploring broader ideas within my printmaking practice, inviting reflection on ephemerality, impermanence, and the processes of decay and transformation.