Installed at Moma Machynlleth

Inspired by a small hill known as The Vardre above the small town of Deganwy overlooking the Conwy Estuary. It is a rare volcanic plug formed 450 million years ago, once part of a vast volcano estimated to have been twice the height of Yr Wyddfa.

The hill’s original Welsh name, Y Faerdre, was lost through centuries of Anglicisation, along with its rich, fascinating layers of cultural history, from 6th century Welsh kings, the poetry of the famous Welsh Bard Taliesin, through Norman and English conquest, to a castle built by Henry III later destroyed by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. For Duffy, Y Faerdre became a powerful symbol of history erased through colonial power — and the necessity of resistance for a proud nation.

In a darkened gallery, visitors with mobile phone light in hand go in search of 28 paintings each one representing a letter of the Welsh alphabet. Also, a far larger 29th representing the letter “J,” introduced through centuries of Anglo-Saxon influence. A video work stages a linguistic confrontation in which a woman calmly recites the Welsh alphabet while a man (Duffy) forcefully interrupts, turning language itself into a site of power, domination, identity and resistance. At the centre of the installation, a small sculpture made from volcanic rock taken from Y Faerdre anchors the work in deep time and symbolises the bedrock of a nation’s identity.