James Hudson

Volution

Many Voices, One Nation

James Hudson is a graphic artist and photographer working primarily on fictional projects that combine photographs, texts and collage. His early works include photographic projects about the circus, skateparks, industry and vintage cars. In 2010-2011 he completed an artist residency at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford producing a book inspired by Ovid’s stories of Metamorphosis. His work has been included in Format Festival & Diffusion: Cardiff International Festival of Photography. In 2019 he completed a postgrad in Graphic Arts at UWE. He is currently completing a long term project about urban alienation, suicide and perceived terrorist threat titled ‘Nothing To Worry About’.

His practice recently developed into incorporating text and collage with sequences of unposed photographs; work founded in documentary practice but then developed and presented as fiction. Chance encounters are still key to his working process, with history and literature often providing the thematic inspiration.

Project Brief

James Hudson tells a story of an off-road bicycle journey from the historical Machynlleth Senedd to the present day Senedd in Cardiff. Ideas and material for the story have been created whilst cycling along the route, engaging in the physical environment and being open to chance encounters.

This modern pilgrimage serves as a reminder that there was a Senedd in Wales’ past as well as being a celebration of Wales’ democratic history and progress. Cycling is a positive, inclusive activity and a key part of the Active Travel Act passed by the Senedd in 2013. Off-road cycling has both an interesting history in Wales and a growing future throughout the country – which is already considered one of the best places for off-road biking in the UK. As a work of graphic art fiction, as opposed to a more straightforward documentation, the project aims to expose to new audiences the activity, history and value of both off-road cycling and the Senedd.