David Barnes was born in 1974 in Cardiff and lives in the Rhymney Valley, south Wales, UK.
His artistic practice is grounded in long-term collaborations within communities in his native south Wales – using a layered approach which combines photography, film and installation. His work has been exhibited widely in the UK and Europe, and is represented in the photography collection of the National Library of Wales.
King Tide is drawn from ongoing project work, the production of which has been funded by the Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery, the Arts Council of Wales, Ffotogallery, University of Wales Newport and the Fine Art Print Company.
The photographs that form King Tide, made over a seven year period throughout south Wales, are an unhurried reflection on ‘home’, family, the passing of time and our own relationship to memory and history.
‘King Tide’ refers to the way the sea is affected when the Earth, Sun and Moon are aligned at ‘perigee’ and ‘perihelion’; a natural phenomenon that often occurs at night and therefore can go unnoticed. In the work the artist alludes to similarly powerful, invisible forces that are at play in all our lives. With a focus on ‘small stories’ – the work turns away from grand narratives to gently document aspects of contemporary life in Wales.
