Blaenavon Ironworks is the key site in the Blaenavon World Heritage Site, and significant in the story of Wales as the world’s first industrial nation. The style of the interpretation draws heavily on the ‘Steam-punk’ subculture, developing Cadw’s own concept called Haearn-punk (Haearn is Iron in Welsh) that blends industrial and decorative aesthetics – capturing an age when machines were beautiful.

 

We commissioned an illustrator to create a steam-punk character called Sidney Gildchrist Thomas (the Ironworks Chemist) to illustrate some of Blaenavon’s key stories in an interesting and engaging way. Each panel works in dual language.

 

Two metre high, core-ten totem graphic silhouettes of the characters that lived and work on site are beautifully designed with crafted type stenciled around the silhouettes.