“You cannot live in the present,
At least not in Wales.”

Inspired by R.S. Thomas’s poem “A Welsh Landscape” and equipped with a large-format camera with Ilford film, Rhisiart is currently photographing for his first planned monograph,
A Song of the Old Quarrymen.

The project focuses on the slate mining heritage and communities of Wales that once roofed the world. From the dramatic mountains to the weathered slate quarries, from the small mining towns, to the preservation work of the heritage railways that keep the steam locomotives and history alive.

The aim is to interpret the past while documenting the present—how the slate industry has carved the land, shaped communities, and left enduring marks.