Blodau Gwyllt
Wildflowers
Blodau Gwyllt (working title) is a multi-faceted creative project by interdisciplinary artist Esther Williams, inspired by Welsh names for wildflowers and their surrounding folklore. Focussing on six specific plants and featuring a combination of illustration, text, music and live performance, the project will offer a rich and immersive insight into the fascinating, fun and sometimes sinister world of wildflowers in Wales, incorporating botanical folklore, herbalism, mythology and history.
Opening in Spring 2027, the project will manifest in three parts: an exhibition, 3 x live performances, and wildflower walks. The exhibition will take place at one location in Haverfordwest, accompanied by a mini tour of shows across three venues in Haverfordwest, St David’s and Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.
Exhibition
April / May 2027, Haverfordwest
The exhibition will feature six botanical illustrations (see images below) mounted onto A4 sized light-boxes with text panels explaining the meanings behind Welsh names for the wildflower, as well as associated folklore and herbalism, mythology and history. Each illustration will be accompanied by an original folk song inspired by the plant, accessible via headphones and MP3 players.
Welsh name: Dalen Gryman
English name: Ribwort Plantain
Scientific name: Plantago lancelota
Welsh name: Llysiau’r Cwlwm
English name: Common Comfrey
Scientific name: Symphytum officinalis
Diagram of exhibition components, including illuminated illustrations, text panels and headphones attached to MP3 players, mounted on a wall.
Example Folk Song: Marwolaeth / Death Flower
Marwolaeth / Death Flower is a demo recording of one of the songs to be featured in the exhibition and show. Composed about Yarrow - Achillea millefolium - the plant was known as ‘Death Flower’ in many parts of Wales, believed to cause a death in the family if brought into the house. The lyrics imagine feelings and fears surrounding the plant, as well as other superstitions pertaining to death in Welsh folklore, such as seeing Corpse Candles and the Tolaeth; an omen of death that was only apparent to one sense at a time, manifesting as specific sounds, sights and sensations.
Lyrics
Death flower, dare not pluck a single stem, dare not bring into my house, dare not grow in my garden
Beware the fine-feathered things, the odour portending, death in the family
And I heard it: the shuffling of feet, the swarming of the bees, the thrum of starlings
And I saw it: the solitary crow, the burrow of the mole, from the dairy below
And I felt it: the shiver by the fire, the wrecking of the keel, the wind over their feet
Pale blue light, shining for me, rushes glimmering, in the darkness lead
And I’ll face him, when my time has come, he will take me in his arms, and dance me til I’m done
And I’ll leave here, on the hooting of an owl, with the coin in my mouth, growing a single flower
Live Performance
May 2027, Haverfordwest, St David’s, and Fishguard
The exhibition will be accompanied by a 90 minute show combining storytelling, music, and botanical imagery, featuring live performances of the six folk songs featured in the exhibition, interspersed with tales of Welsh folklore and mythology, with a focus on connections between women and wild plants.
The band will be comprised of:
Esther Williams: singer and harper
Hazel Genevieve: singer and violist
Robin Watson: singer and cellist
The set will include botanical projections via gobos, and feature props / objects relevant to the folklore of each plant (such as birds / small agricultural tools), as well as botanically inspired costumes.
Illustration of main elements of performance: three singers with harp, viola and cello accompaniment. Large scale botanical projections via gobos / backdrop, and botanical props ie. plants or folklore objects.
Wildflower Walks
April / May 2027, Haverfordwest, St David’s, and Fishguard
A series of wildflower walks will be run by Esther, leading groups of people on a 90 minute walk identifying wildflowers and talking about the meanings behind their Welsh names, associated folklore, herbalism and ecology.
The Team
Blodau Gwyllt will be developed and performed by a varied team of artists, musicians and makers:
Esther Williams - lead artist, performer, designer and manger
Shukti Laphroaig - consultant, creative producer and stage manager
Hazel Genevieve - performer
Alex Hill - audio production
Rose Kindred-Boothby - sound and performance consultant
About Me
I’m a multidisciplinary artist, writer and musician making work inspired by Welsh botanical heritage. I write and illustrate essays about the etymology of Welsh plant names, lead community wildflower walks in Pembrokeshire, and am writing a folk album inspired by Welsh plantlore. All my work is born from a deep love for plants, people and tradition.
I’m currently involved in the Hook Wood Ancient Woodland Restoration Project leading series of Welsh wildflower walks as well as botanically themed art workshops. I performed at Fishguard Folk Festival 2026 and my music has been played on BBC Radio Wales. I’ve had writing published by Radicle and Cwlwm substacks and my book proposal about Welsh wildflowers has been shortlisted by Seren Books. I was also shortlisted for Artist in Residence at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in 2025.
I have a BA in Music and Visual Art from Brighton University and an MSc in Sustainability from Anglia Ruskin University and the Eden Project.
