A temporary piece of artwork painted onto Mt Snowdon in celebration of the area’s sheep-farming community has been turned into ‘graffiti’ after it failed to ‘wash away’ in the rain.
The 100ft mural – which consisted of a poem written by Wales’ national poet – was painted onto a cliff face near Gladstone Rock as part of The Gathering, an outdoor performance staged by the National Theatre of Wales.
The four-hour performance used the national park’s landscape to tell the story of ancient farming techniques and involved herding the audience around the mountain.
The poem, one of the main features of the production, was meant to ‘wash off’ in the rain once the performances were over – a crucial caveat when the artwork was granted permission.
A temporary 100ft mural of a poem used in an outdoor theatre performance has been labelled as ‘graffiti’ after it failed to wash away in the rain from the lower slopes of Mt Snowdon
But now the mural has been branded as ‘graffiti’ after a hotter-than-average summer left the paint to be imprinted onto the rock.
The NTW told MailOnline it was ‘genuinely sorry’ that the removal of the paint is taking ‘longer than anticipated’.
But John Harold, director of the Snowdonia Society, said the mural had left permanent damage on the base of the mountain and that the episode showed a lack of consideration for the national park.
He said: ‘We have some sympathy with the National Theatre for Wales. They had an idea and they asked the relevant people for permission. But I just do not think the relevant guidance was really that good.
‘It does look rather like graffiti – it’s hard to call it anything else.
‘We would hope lessons are learned and that more respect and consideration is given in the future to the landscape that, at least in part, they (the theatre) were celebrating.’
The mural formed part of The Gathering, an outdoor production staged in the national park by the National Theatre of Wales
Permission was given for the mural by the National Trust, which owns the land, on the basis the paint would wash off in the rain.
But attempts by the NTW to clear it away – and ‘return the site to its original state – have so far failed.
Mr Harold says there have been two types of damage caused by the mural. He said the aesthetics of the rock have not only been ruined, but that is has had long-term damage on the environment.
He said there is centuries-old lichen growing on the rock, which will be unavoidably removed in the aggressive cleaning process.
He added: ‘By all accounts it was a great event which is why what has happened is a real shame. But the national park is a very precious resource, it’s our world-famous brand and it’s precious for all its features.
The mural was painted onto a cliff face near Gladstone Rock in Snowdonia National Park, shown here above
‘A really wonderful event has unfortunately left a very bad taste.’
James Arnold, recently climbing in the area on holiday, told the Independent: ‘They are left with probably the biggest piece of graffiti in the UK in a national park, and it looks awful.’
A spokesman for the National Theatre for Wales said: ‘The poetry written on the rock face near Hafod y Llan was part of National Theatre Wales’ production The Gathering/Yr Helfa.
‘The production involved a series of temporary installations, developed in collaboration with Hafod y Llan farm and the National Trust, highlighting the life and activity of the farm.
‘The intention with all the installations was to return the whole site to its original state. Despite detailed research, the removal of the poetry on the rock face is taking longer than anticipated.
‘Following consultation with the National Trust, the words in this installation were written in a natural, clay-based paint, which is non-harmful. After the performance, the vast majority of the paint was removed, but some of the words remained visible.
‘A team has begun a second phase of cleaning the site this week, according to the expert advice we have been given. We are loath to make any attempts to clean the rock in any way that is not recommended by ecologists, though we are seeking further advice.
‘We will repeat this cleaning process until all the paint has been removed.
‘We are genuinely sorry that it is taking this long, but it is our priority to put things right as soon as possible.
A National Trust spokesman said: ‘This National Theatre Wales production of Yr Helfa/The Gathering was a powerful depiction of life in the hills, and shone a light on the work and dramatic landscape of this iconic part of Wales.
‘Naturally as such a special corner of Wales and a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (S.S.S.I) the theatre were very thorough in all their four years of community work and research. The production team worked closely with all the relevant authorities to ensure that the materials used would cause no harm to the surroundings.
‘National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke’s poem was written on bare rock with a non harmful clay based product designed to wash away in the rain.
‘However, the unseasonably dry weather in September has meant that her powerful words have remained visible longer than expected. With Autumn now upon us nature can take its course and continue to wash away the poem.’