Cymuned - Collaboratory

Dan ni un oed! We are one year old!

Well, we are not really sure when we were ‘born’ as we had quite a long gestation, conceived in summer 2020 with Collaboratories starting in Autumn 2020, collectively shaping what Utopias Bach has become.

Our approximately-1st-birthday December Collaboratory was a reflection on our journey and how we experience Utopias Bach, led by Lisa Hudson. This also fed into our report to the Arts Council at 6 months into our funding. Here’s a taster of people’s thoughts and images:

“Time and talking, in community

A web of warm-hearted people

Otherness branching, flowering fruit

Community picnic on the gwastadnant - cliffs coming?

Creative notion, expansive nature, comfort of friendliness

Playful. Discombobulating. Irregular.

Illusive, cyclical, a firm foundation

Melting pot of luscious ideas.

Riding on an elephant, with views all around high

I’ve found my tribe. Kindness. Innovation. Anarchy

A great sea makes in here.”

We have been delighted to welcome a lot of new members over the last month. For upcoming topics see our calendar of events, croeso cynnes i bawb! Warm welcome to all!

Upcoming collaboratories include

• Utopias Bach and Socially Engaged Art: Where is the Art and is it any good (and does it matter) led by Wanda Zyborska

• in February, sharing practice/making connections;

• in March Femtopoems, a Mini-Concrete Poetry workshop with Rhys Trimble;

• in April, exploring movement with Samina Ali.

Arbrofion - Experiments

Utopias Bach experiments (yn y byd mawr, they might be called ‘projects’) are inspired by the idea that we can’t really know what will work - what we should do - in these precarious times. Our experiments (or strawberry plantlets) are:

• syniadau i’r dyfodol
  /ideas for the future (that may already be present)

• wedi’u creu/meddwl/cyflwyno/fframio ar raddfa fach (yn llythrennol, neu fel microcosm)
  /constructed/presented/framed in a small scale (physically, or as a microcosm)

• gall, mewn ffordd, ein helpu i ddychmygu'r byd fel lle gwell i bobol a mwy-na-phobol o bob math, yn arbennig y rhai sydd wedi’u heffeithio’n ddrwg gan stad bresennol y byd
  / that in some way might help us imagine the world a better place for humans and more-than-humans of all kinds, especially those who are most badly affected by the current state of the world or its transition

Each experiment is different, designed by those taking part. Some are being done individually, while others are working in community.

Over the last few weeks we have been delighted to welcome and suport some new strawberry plantlets, including:

home - dom - adra by Lisa Hudson, exploring the possibilities of domestic utopia and the meaning of the word ‘Home’, including working with Iolande Viegas, a community organiser from the Portuguese speaking diaspora in Wrexham and Jarek, a first generation Polish immigrant to Wrexham who has made their tiny flat into a utopic garden, and then spent the lockdown building a dream doll’s house for his grand-daughter in Poland. Lisa is interested in any contributions and conversations on the subject of HOME - to be involved, contact Lisa on lisasantana@hotmail.co.uk

exercises for white people by Emily Laurens, asking and seeking to answer some questions such as : What does it mean to be white in the world right now? How can white people create a culture of anti-racism? Does doing/making/creating help in thinking through these things? What visual metaphors can be employed? Can an understanding of whiteness can lead to relationship, community and ecosystem flourishings?

See the full list of our experiments here: many include invitations to become involved.

Small scale solutions: Reinventing the live event

We are delighted to be involved in this online conference, 21-22 February 2022, convened by Sarah Pogoda, Bangor University. The conference aims to share ideas, experiences and findings around new kinds of art event, particularly small scale events which are not mainly pursued online. The event will explore the diverse creative responses which have emerged to meet the challenges presented by the pandemic in relation to live events, audience engagement and the creation of ‘liveness’, bringing together arts practitioners, audiences, stakeholders, funders and researchers.

Utopias Bach will be leading a workshop on Trawsffurfiad - Shape Shifting and Crone Cast. For more details on the event see here