This week on Pain in the Arts, Chris and Jak return from a chaotic Easter half‑term with stories of immersive art, botanical obsessions, and a surprising amount of existential reflection. From Wake the Tiger in Bristol — a sprawling, surreal, immersive art labyrinth — to a beautiful cyanotype exhibition in Cardiff, the pair explore how creativity can be playful, tactile, and deeply nostalgic.

They also dive into the growing trend of “friction maxing” — the Gen Z/Gen Alpha movement bringing analogue creativity back into fashion, from film photography to darkroom experiments. And yes, Jack is already planning to turn the studio into one.

This week’s listener questions spark two big discussions:

• Why do trusts and charities succeed where councils fail? 
• How do you get a book published in Wales?

Expect honesty, humour, and a lot of practical insight into how Welsh arts spaces survive, adapt, and sometimes collapse — and what communities can do about it.

Support the show