A Newport ballet dancer and Wales’ Principality Stadium feature in a new piece of contemporary art by world-renowned artist, David Mach RA, to mark the start of six weeks of celebrations for The National Lottery’s 25th birthday.
The giant collage titled ‘United By Numbers: The National Lottery at 25’, features a mix of famous and lesser-known people, places and icons from the worlds of sport, film, the arts, communities and heritage. They have been brought together in one iconic image to represent The National Lottery’s incredible impact on life in the UK over the past 25 years.
Newport ballet dancer, Krystal Lowe, a member of the ballet company, Ballet Cymru, appears in the artwork, representing the impact the National Lottery has had on the performing arts in Wales. Krystal stars alongside others including Idris Elba, the Governor for The National Lottery funded British Film Institute (BFI), Sir John Major, who launched the National Lottery when he was Prime Minister in 1994; Tracey Emin; Rio Ferdinand; and Betty Webb, a World War Two codebreaker from Bletchley Park.
The National Lottery has supported Krystal’s flourishing career by helping to pay for Ballet Cymru’s headquarters. The building, on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Newport in South East Wales, was turned into a bespoke dance studio.
Commenting on her inclusion in the art, Krystal Lowe says: “It’s a privilege to be part of this special celebration and appear in this wonderful image. The National Lottery has helped me tremendously in my career, and the building has also become an arts hub that has made a huge difference to the arts community in Newport.”
The impressive line-up of people is set against a backdrop of National Lottery funded venues including Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. £46 million was raised by National Lottery players to help build the iconic stadium, which is also celebrating its 20th Birthday this year. The stadium, which was developed to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup, is the largest single grant awarded by the National Lottery to a project in Wales and is now regarded as one of the world’s finest sporting stadia and performance arenas. The stadium completes the backdrop for the piece of art alongside The Kelpies sculptures in Scotland, Jodrell Bank observatory in Manchester and the amazing stones of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.
Reflecting on the inspiration for his new piece, and his own connections with The National Lottery, David Mach says: “For the past 25 years, there is barely a part of our cultural, sporting and community life that had not been positively influenced by National Lottery funding. As someone who has been involved in charities and institutions, and had artwork commissioned from National Lottery funding, I know the impact it has had on the UK.”
Dawn Austwick, Chair of the UK National Lottery Forum, says: “Since The National Lottery launched in 1994 it has changed lives across the UK, helping people and places to flourish. The range of people – from arts, heritage, charities, community, and sport – who are featured in this iconic image shows just how big a part of the fabric of life The National Lottery is.”
Over the next six weeks (16 October – 30 November), The National Lottery is hosting a range of free activities, events and experiences across the whole country. The 25th birthday celebrations are designed to reflect the amazing impact National Lottery players have had on the funding of everything from community art projects and sports teams, to environmental initiatives, support for the elderly and youth projects.
David Mach’s new artwork, titled ‘United By Numbers: The National Lottery at 25’ is being unveiled on 14th October and exhibited for the day in the window of Booth & Howarth on Mauldeth Road, Manchester, which has been selling National Lottery tickets for 25 years.
Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has had on your community over the past 25 years by visiting www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the 25th hashtag: #NationalLottery25.
