News items - ffoton

Redhouse, Merthyr Tydfil - venue for Chuck Rapoport's Digital exhibition on Aberfan 

With relatively few gallery spaces showing photography around Wales, it was appropriate and touching to see the impressive Redhouse in Merthyr Tydfil host a digital exhibition of the aftermath of the tragedy that befell nearby Aberfan in late 1966.

The haunting photographs by American photojournalist I.C. Rapoport (known as Chuck) were captured over a six week period when he came to Wales on 29th October 1966 to record a photo essay idea he had pitched to the prestigious LIFE Magazine in New York titled, "A Town without Children".

Chuck Rapport talking with Ffoton Wales. © Brian Carroll

The issue of LIFE Magazine that carried Chuck's Aberfan photography on it's cover and 11 pages inside

Having met the exhibition's Producer Suzanne Grover at a special Aberfan conference in Cardiff, Ffoton offered to film the Preview of the exhibition launch at Redhouse on the evening of 12th September 2016 where Professor Dai Smith introduced Chuck Rapoport to an audience which included survivors of the disaster.

Ffoton are proud to publish this video record on the 50th Anniversary of the Aberfan disaster.

The images below are a selection of copies of spreads from the original LIFE Magazine edition that featured Chuck's photo essay on Aberfan, brought to Wales by the photographer for the Aberfan conference held at Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies.

Images © Chuck Rapoport, © Brian Carroll, @ Tracey Paddison and © Glyn Shakeshaft

On 21st October 2016 on the 50th Anniversary of the Aberfan tragedy we gave our homepage www.ffoton.wales over to a special recording of Chuck Rapoport made at the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. You can still see the tribute page at www.ffoton.wales/aberfan (and in Welsh www.ffoton.cymru) or just listen to the audio below.