Igam Ogam. Ruthin Craft Centre. North Wales 2023 - 2024
This project involved working with communities in Dyffryn Clwyd: 1) the rural Welsh-speaking community of Llandyrnog and 2) the community of bees and beekeepers in the same vicinity. I am interested in the behaviour of bees and their teamwork skills, and how these can be studied using different senses. In parallel, I collected narratives from the diverse rural community on my doorstep. I aimed to shed light on new ways of understanding both the workings of a rural community and the behaviour of bees, and to raise questions about the risks and challenges they face, as well as how they evolve and adapt to change.
Ecological narratives were developed from research that included the sound, smell, and sight of bees within a two-mile radius of their hive. This was an experimental project, but I was also gathering physical materials associated with bees to explore ideas. R&D provided me with the raw material for sharing, including three experimental films that explore the social and ecological narratives gathered during the R&D phase, focusing on the interdependence of rural communities and ecology.
The research also involved working with the Ruthin choir and composer Robat Arwyn to explore experimental soundscapes. I also partnered with Studio Made, Llandyrnog Hall, and Ruthin Craft Centre to publicly share the research through a series of informal ‘sharing’ sessions with artists, musicians, ecologists, and beekeepers.