Mark Griffiths

Mark is a photographer based in South Wales, U.K. He graduated in 2013 with a degree in photojournalism from the university of Wales/ Trinity St David.  His work has been widely featured throughout the world and exhibited across the country. His clients include The Telegraph Magazine, Channel 4, The Smith Journal and The Financial Times among others.  His work ‘The Healing Land’ received an honorable mention at the Moscow International Photography awards and in addition the work was voted as one of the ten best features of the week by Fotografia magazine.  He was highly commended at the British Life Photography awards in the portrait category. And recently he has been selected for the final 30 at the Fotofilmic awards and will exhibit in L.A, Vancouver and Melbourne.  He enjoys engaging with new and interesting characters and landscapes and working on long term documentary projects.  He is passionate about photography and is constantly looking at new and dynamic ways of improving his artistic style and approach to the practice. He is available for editorial, reportage and commercial assignments and commissions.

The Black Heathen

The Black Heathen or gentiles nigri was a name that the Welsh called Viking invaders. The term means a dark and unwanted presence that do not belong to a widely held religion. The Black Heathen were feared throughout the land and attacks along the Welsh coastline lasted for over 200 years from the first recorded incident in 795 AD. Wales was repeatedly raided, especially by the Norse from the Hiberno-Norse kingdoms of Dublin and Limerick.

Kings like Rhodri ap Merfyn, known as Rhodri Mawr (the great, 844 to 878 AD) and Hywel Dda (the Good, 900 to 950 AD) were able to rally large numbers of Welshmen to the defence of their lands with stubborn resistance, preventing the formation of large Norse kingdoms such as existed elsewhere in the British Isles. The places pictured in this series are sites where attacks were frequently recorded. Wales suffered heavily at the hands of “The Black Heathen” and blood was spilled along the shores, fields and forests in the southern regions from relentless attacks endured.

To die on the sword of “The Heathen” was a fate of many Welshmen as the black tide of invaders came wave after wave.

To view more of Mark’s work please visit his website.