Wedi’i ysbrydoli a chychwyn yn ystod y cyfnod clo yn 2020, mae Utopias Bach yn eich gwahodd chi i ailfeddwl Utopia fel rhywbeth sydd wedi ei wreiddio mewn lle, tra’n tyfu cysylltiadau ar draws y byd. Dan ni’n eich gwahodd chi i ddychmygu ac arbrofi y pethau bach a fyddai o bosib yn helpu rhywsut i greu byd gwell ar gyfer pobl o bob math (bodau dynal a mwy-na-dynol), yn enwedig y rheini sydd yn cael eu heffeithio’n ddrwg gan gyflwr y byd.

Mae bod yn rhan o Utopias Bach yn gyfle i ymuno gyda chymuned amrywiol a chreadigol i sylwi ar bethau bach, yn arbrofi efo ffyrdd newydd o feddwl a bod, yn creu ac ymblethu ein hunain mewn prosesau a llefydd o’n cwmpas. Chwyldro ar ffurf bach, wedi ei ffocysu ar raddfa y teimlwn y gallwn ei ddylanwadu.

Mae’r dull hwn o weithio yn her uniongyrchol i’r straeon bydol ‘cyfle olaf’ y mae Suzanne Dhaliwal yn cyfeirio atynt sy’n ‘gwahodd ymatebion draconaidd sy’n rhoi cyfoeth, natur defnyddiol, datrysiadau technolegol, a chyfeddiant tir a dŵr.” Yn hytrach, trwy ‘ddisgyn mewn cariad gydag un peth bach penodol neu le, rydym yn dod yn rhan yn y sgwd difodiant a’r posibilrwydd o barhad.”

Yn gweithio fel unigolion, neu fel grwp, dan ni’n dechrau meddwl am syniadau a sut i’w mynegi nhw yn greadigol, ac mae’r darganfyddiadau a’r cysylltiadau a wneir yn dod yn bwynt dechrau trafodaeth, yn cynhyrchu rhwydweithiau bythol, cefnogaeth, y “deunyddiau” a strategaethau i feddwl a gweithredu.

From North Wales to Malawi, from individuals to schools to whole communities, we share an interest in finding little ways to make a difference, working with the ‘what ifs’ of the radical imagination. 

Inspired by and conceived during lockdown in 2020, Utopias Bach invites you to rethink Utopia as being rooted in place, while growing connections across the world. We invite you to imagine and try out little things that might in some way help create a better place for people of all kinds (human and more-than-human), especially those who are most badly affected by the state of the world.

Being part of Utopias Bach is an opportunity to join a diverse, creative community noticing the little things, trying out different ways of thinking and being, creating and entangling ourselves in the processes and places around us. A revolution in miniature, focused at a scale we feel we can influence.

This way of working is a direct challenge to the global ‘last chance’ stories that as Suzanne Dhaliwal suggests, ‘invite draconian responses centring wealth, instrumental nature, techno fixes, large scale annexation of land and water”. Instead, by ‘falling in love with a particular thing or place, we become embroiled in the extinction cascade and possibility of ongoingness’

Working as individuals, or as a group, we start by thinking through ideas and how to express them creatively, and the discoveries and connections made become the starting point for discussion, generating lasting networks, support, tools and strategies for thought and action.

From North Wales to Malawi, from individuals to schools to whole communities, we share an interest in finding little ways to make a difference, working with the ‘what ifs’ of the radical imagination. 

Dan ni’n Fefus

Mae’n rhaid i ni ddechrai meddwl am Utopias Bach fel planhigyn mefus, gyda’r bartneriaeth craidd a’r criw cymunedol yn magu planhigion bach tan eu bod yn ddigon cryf i fyw’n annibynnol (neu’n gwywo’n ara’ deg), tra’n ‘hadu’ syniadau mewn llefydd eraill, pellach.

Mae bob agwedd wedi cael ei dylunio i gyrraedd ymhellach na’n lefel sylfaenol, yn creu prosiect sydd wastad yn newid, yn cael ei arwain a’i deilwra i anghenion y rheini sy’n cymeryd rhan.

Mae croeso cynnes i chi

We are Strawberry

We have come to think of Utopias Bach like a strawberry plant, with the core partnership and Collabatory nurturing offshoot plantlets until they are strong enough to live independently (or that gently wither away), while ‘seeding’ ideas further afield.

Each aspect is designed to reach further out at grassroots level, creating a project that is always changing, lead by and tailored to the needs of those taking part.

You are warmly invited to

Pam?

Mae Utopias Bach yn digwydd yng nghyd-destun bygythiadau dirfodol i’r byd dynol a mwy-na-dynol: Dan ni mewn amseroedd o ‘newid mawr’ dwfn ac eang

‘how can we not feel inwardly undone by the anxiety of not knowing how to respond’ - Bruno Latour

Ynghanol byd o begynau cynyddol, sy’n cael eu domineiddio gan naratifau distopaidd rhyngwladol gan y strwythurau grym cyfredol, dan ni’n rhannu’r farn bod angen:

“… redistribute the power to imagine beyond the now, to speculate our futures in line with climate justice, to re-centre experiences that have been marginalised by the uneven developments of socio-political, economic and cultural powers that sustain the crisis”
- Angela Chan

Dan ni eisiau archwilio rol celf cymdeithasol i greu gofod ar gyfer cyfarfod, creu a bod yn y newid ar raddfa fach. Dan ni eisiau creu cymuned agored, gefnogol wrth ddysgu sy’n adeiladu capasiti – sgiliau, creadigrwydd, cysylltiadau a ffynhonellau – i weithio gyda dychymyg radical ar lefel sylfaenol.

Mae Utopias Bach yn ein gwahodd i gofio nad ydi’r macro yn ddim byd ond ehangiad bach o’r micro. Beth ydi’r gweithredoedd lleiaf, wedi eu creu gyda dychymyg radical, a wnaiff helpu ni i ailgyflunio ein perthynas gyda’r dyfodol ar raddfa dan ni’n gallu ei ddylanwadu? Sut allwn ni wyrdroi graddfeydd a ffiniau gofodol ac amserol, gan greu magledigaeth gyda rhai agos a phell sy’n arbrofi gyda – ac yn anelu at – ffyrdd newydd o fod ar gyfer y dyfodol?

Why?

Utopias Bach is taking place in the context of existential threats to the human and more-than-human world: We are in the times of a ‘great turning’ of such depth and scale

‘how can we not feel inwardly undone by the anxiety of not knowing how to respond’ - Bruno Latour

We share a conviction that in an increasingly polarised world, dominated by global dystopian narratives maintained by existing power structures, there is an urgent need to

“… redistribute the power to imagine beyond the now, to speculate our futures in line with climate justice, to re-centre experiences that have been marginalised by the uneven developments of socio-political, economic and cultural powers that sustain the crisis”
- Angela Chan

We want to explore the role of socially engaged art in creating space for meeting, creating and being the change at small scale. We want to create an open, supportive learning community that builds capacity – skills, creativity, contacts and resources – for working with the radical imagination at grass-roots level.

Utopias Bach invites us to remember the macro is nothing but a slight extension of the micro. What are the smallest gestures, created with radical imagination, that will help us explore and reconfigure our relationship with the future at a scale we feel we can influence? How can we subvert scales and temporal and spatial frontiers, creating entanglements with others near and far that experiment with – and point to - new ways of being for the future?

Gwerthoedd

Dan ni’n chwilio am gwestiynau yn hytrach nag atebion, neu o leiaf byddwn yn osgoi canlyniadau anhyblyg.

Dan ni’n ystyried ein hunain i fod yn datblygu diwylliant ar ffurf bach fel un o’n nodau tuag at Utopia Bach. Byddwn yn gweithio gyda ymwybyddiaeth, gofal a pharch i’r amgylchedd, ein gilydd a phob bod dynol a mwy-na-dynol, gan dalu sylw i’n proses, dulliau ac ein datblygiad yn yr arbrawf hwn. Dan ni’n gwneud hyn trwy gael meddwl sy’n dysgu a thrwy:

• Amrywioldeb: Yn chwilio am a dathlu amrywioldeb a gwahaniaeth, a gwerthfawrogi beth mae pob un ohonom yn ddod i’r profiad cydweithredol. Yn gobeithio rhoi platform i bobl a materion sydd yn aml yn cael eu hanwybyddu neu ddim yn cael sylw digonol.

• Newid: Herio uniongredoau sy’n bodoli a ffyrdd o weithio[1]. Yn cofleidio grym pegynnau, yn creu gofod ble gall newid radical ddigwydd. Yn annog trafodaeth a dadl ar bynciau anodd. Weithiau mae newid bach yr un mor bwysig ag un mawr.

• Lledaenu: Fel planhigyn mefus, yn lledaenu a magu hadau bach ac eginau: adeiladu capasiti trwy rannu sgiliau, syniadau, digwyddiadau a ffynhonellau.

• Agored ac adfyfyriol: Yn hael gyda gofod ac amser ar gyfer adfyfyrio parhaus a deialog ac yn agored i heriau. Yn hyblyg gydag amser, canlyniadau, dulliau. Byddwn yn arbrofi gyda ffyrdd gwahanol i ddogfennu ein prosesau unigol a chydweithredol a’n cynhyrchiadau.

• Cyd-greu: Mae pob un sy’n cymeryd rhan yn chwarae rhan allweddol mewn penderfynu beth fydd yn digwydd. Mae hunan-hwyluso, cyfrifoldeb a chymeryd rhan ymwybodol yn ein helpu ni i archwilio ffyrdd newydd o weithio gyda’n gilydd.

• Ymateb i anghenion: yn ymwybodol o, yn ymateb i anghenion y rheini sy’n cymeryd rhan, yn annog gonestrwydd, caredigrwydd, empathi a dealltwriaeth

• Safon artistig: Agwedd gwestiynol at safon, fel rhywbeth i anelu tuag ato. Datblygu diwylliant o sylwi, yn enwedig cwestiynu a sylwi ble mai’r celf ydi cymeryd rhan neu ddatblygu. Mae’r byd yn gelf!

  [1] Os byddai’n rhaid i’n amcanion ni fod yn GLYFAR, daw hynny o fewn arbrofion: yn Greadigol, yn Ledrith, yn  Ysbrydoledig, yn Fach, yn Arbrofol, yn Radical

Values

We seek questions rather than answers, or at least we will avoid rigid conclusions.

We consider ourselves to be developing a miniature culture as one of our attempts towards a Utopia Bach.  We will work with awareness, care and respect to the environment, each other and all humans and more-than-humans, paying attention to our process, methods and our own becoming in this experiment. We do this by keeping a learning mind and through:

• Diversity:  Seeking and celebrating diversity and difference, and appreciating what we each bring to the collective experience. Aspiring to give a platform to people and issues which may often be ignored or insufficiently recognised.

• Change: Challenging prevailing orthodoxies and ways of working[1]. Embracing the power of polarities, generating a space where radical change can happen. Encourage discussion and debate on difficult issues. Sometimes a tiny change is as important as a big one.

• Spread: Like a strawberry plant, spreading and nurturing little seeds and offshoots: capacity building through sharing skills, ideas, events and resources.

• Open and reflective:  Generous with space and time for on-going reflection and dialogue and open to challenge. Flexible on time, outcomes, methods. We will experiment with different ways to document our individual and collective processes and our production

• Co-creation: All those involved play a significant role in determining what happens. Self-facilitation, accountability and conscious participation help us explore new ways of working together.

• Responsive to needs: aware of, and respond to the needs of those taking part, encouraging honesty, kindness, empathy and understanding.  

• Artistic quality: A questioning approach to quality, as something to strive towards. Developing a culture of noticing, especially questioning and noticing where the art is taking place or becoming. The whole thing is art!

[1] If our objectives had to be SMART, they’d be seeking experiments that are: Small, Magical, Attentive, Radical and Terrestrial.

Pwy ydan ni a sut i ddod yn rhan

Rhwng Mis Mehefin 2021 a mis Medi 2022, roedd gan Utopias Bach ei gefnogi gan bartneriaeth rhwng Lindsey Colbourne, Samina Ali, Wanda Zyborska, Lisa Hudson, Julie Upmeyer, Prosiectau Plas Bodfa.

Dan ni wedi bod yn gwneud pethau fel rhedeg y wefan, ceisio dod o hyd i adnoddau ar gyfer y prosiect, gweinyddy sylfaenol, cadw llygad ar ‘ble mae’r celf’ a pha mor dda dan ni’n gweithio ar ein hegwyddorion. Dan ni’n ystyried ein hunain yn arddwyr y prosiect, yn cefnogi iechyd y:

Cymuned: Dan ni’n meddwl am hyn fel ‘planhigyn y fam fefus’, lle (rhithwir ar hyn o bryd, ond efallai hefyd yn y byd go iawn) lle gallwn ddod at ein gilydd i rannu syniadau a gweithgareddau, gweithio trwy anhawsterau, cael ein hysbrydoli, dysgu pethau newydd. Agored i bawb. Gweler y calendr ar gyfer digwyddiadau.

Arbrofion cymuned: Mae arbrofion Utopias Bach yn estyn allan at gymunedau gwahanol, mae pob un wedi eu dylunio mewn ffyrdd gwahanol, yn aml yn ymwneud ag artist neu ‘gysylltydd cymunedol’. Cymerwch sbec i weld os hoffech chi ymuno ag un. Neu ddechrau un eich hun.

Pobl: Hyd yn oed os dach chi ddim eisiau bod yn rhan o’r Gymuned, na phrosiect cymunedol, dan ni’n eich gwahodd chi i fod yn rhan o Utopias Bach, dychmygu efallai neu gwneud neu sylwi ar eich pen eich hun. Kar Rowson ydi ein Pennaeth Sylwi.

Yn Mehefin 2021, roeddem yn llwyddiannus yn ein cais i’r Cyngor Celfyddydau am arian Cysylltu a Ffynnu. Mi wnaeth yr arian hwn cefnogi’r partneriaid craidd, y rheini’n ymwneud ag arbrofion yn y gymuned neu ddogfennu/dysgu, ein cyfarfodydd Collaboratory, ac ein Awdur Preswyl, Seran Dolma a Arsylwr, Frances Williams.

Dan ni eisiau bod mor dryloyw a phosib am ein cyllid: dyma crynodeb

O fis Awst 2022, mae ein cyllid wedi dod i ben ac rydym wedi mynd yn ôl i’n rhai gwreiddiol heb eu hariannu, dan arweiniad y Gydweithredol. Rydyn ni nawr yn trafod beth nesaf i Utopias Bach, a gwahoddir pawb i lunio ein dyfodol.

Who are we and how to take part

Between June 2021 and September 2022, Utopias Bach has been supported by a partnership between Lindsey Colbourne, Samina Ali, Wanda Zyborska, Lisa Hudson and Julie Upmeyer, Plas Bodfa Projects.

We have been doing things like running this website, trying to find resources for the project, basic administration, keeping an eye on ‘where is the art’ and how well we are working to our principles. We think of ourselves as the gardeners of the project, supporting the health of:

Collaboratory: We think of this as the ‘mother strawberry plant’, a place (virtual at the moment, but perhaps also in the real world) where we come together to share ideas and activities, work through any difficulties, get inspired, learn new things. Open to all. See calendar for events.

Community experiments: Utopias Bach experiments reach out into different communities, each one designed in a different way, often involving an artist and a ‘community connector’. Have a look to see if you would like to join one.

People: Even if you don’t want to be part of the Collabatory, or a community project, we invite you to be part of Utopias Bach, perhaps imagining or making or just noticing your own. Kar Rowson is our Head of Noticing.

In June 2021 we were successful in our application to the Arts Council Wales Connect and Flourish fund. This money supported the core partners, those involved in community experiments and documenting/learning, our Collaboratory meetings and our Awdur Preswyl, Resident Author, Seran Dolma and ‘Participant Observer, Frances Williams.

We want to be as transparent as possible about our funding: here is a summary of how our money was spent:

As of August 2022, our funding as come to an end and we have gone back to our original unfunded selves, led by the Collaboratory. We are now discussing what next for Utopias Bach, and all are invited to shape our future.