Engage
I have been really interested in the development of the NTW values as evidenced through this site, and have been having a few thoughts. I have worked in the arts in South Wales and NE England and obviously have a keen interest in their development. (there is a wonderful photographic exhibition at the National Museum Cardiff called No Such Thing As Society at the moment )
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=3708
The recent NTW Felice Varini blog posts were actually posted at the same time as a letter went into the South Wales Echo regarding his work at the Cardiff Bay Barrage. The letter stated that they were unhappy with the work, couldnt determine its purpose and that it was a waste of money etc. I thought it interesting that these mixed opinions on Varini's work should be presented at roughly the same time. It also made me think about the failed Cardiff Centre for Visual Art
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2000/oct/16/artsfeatures.communities
http://www.theatr-cymru.co.uk/news/newsdetail.asp?newsID=377
This building is now used as a tourist information centre and may eventually become Cardiff Museum.
What all this is leading to is I am very interested in how NTW seeks to engage with the wider population of Wales. Most of the current members of this 'Ning' site have a vested interest (myself included) in NTW work. Its very early days yet and its very clear that the NTW team are getting out there seeing work, meeting people and being as open and transparent as possible, but I dont feel that the 'word' is getting out there yet. Obviously as NTW dont have any tangible 'product' yet I think this a reasonable assumption.
I think what I am trying to get at is I dont want it to fail and as I work at grassroots a lot I want people to feel as sense of ownership and pride in this new company, I really want it to matter.
I have taught at Secondary level as an Art Teacher and used to teach in an ex mining community in Durham in NE England. I was teaching during the design and erection of The Angel Of The North. There was a great deal of local hostility to the Angel during this process, that the money should be better spent on health etc. Its now clear that this work had a major transformative effect on the public perception on the NE, it helped to lead to the Baltic gallery a huge amount of regeneration and there is a great deal of pride in it.The Shearer shirt on the Angel demonstrated this pride and public ownership in this work
http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/attractions/Angel/multimedia/shearer/shearer.aspx
I don't mean this to be crass but it would be wonderful to for NTW to have this sense of public ownership to its outputs.
sorry I know its a pain I cant manage to imbed the hyperlinks !
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=3708
The recent NTW Felice Varini blog posts were actually posted at the same time as a letter went into the South Wales Echo regarding his work at the Cardiff Bay Barrage. The letter stated that they were unhappy with the work, couldnt determine its purpose and that it was a waste of money etc. I thought it interesting that these mixed opinions on Varini's work should be presented at roughly the same time. It also made me think about the failed Cardiff Centre for Visual Art
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2000/oct/16/artsfeatures.communities
http://www.theatr-cymru.co.uk/news/newsdetail.asp?newsID=377
This building is now used as a tourist information centre and may eventually become Cardiff Museum.
What all this is leading to is I am very interested in how NTW seeks to engage with the wider population of Wales. Most of the current members of this 'Ning' site have a vested interest (myself included) in NTW work. Its very early days yet and its very clear that the NTW team are getting out there seeing work, meeting people and being as open and transparent as possible, but I dont feel that the 'word' is getting out there yet. Obviously as NTW dont have any tangible 'product' yet I think this a reasonable assumption.
I think what I am trying to get at is I dont want it to fail and as I work at grassroots a lot I want people to feel as sense of ownership and pride in this new company, I really want it to matter.
I have taught at Secondary level as an Art Teacher and used to teach in an ex mining community in Durham in NE England. I was teaching during the design and erection of The Angel Of The North. There was a great deal of local hostility to the Angel during this process, that the money should be better spent on health etc. Its now clear that this work had a major transformative effect on the public perception on the NE, it helped to lead to the Baltic gallery a huge amount of regeneration and there is a great deal of pride in it.The Shearer shirt on the Angel demonstrated this pride and public ownership in this work
http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/attractions/Angel/multimedia/shearer/shearer.aspx
I don't mean this to be crass but it would be wonderful to for NTW to have this sense of public ownership to its outputs.
sorry I know its a pain I cant manage to imbed the hyperlinks !
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Comment by National Theatre Wales on July 17, 2009 at 6:29
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Guy, I am going to come to Bridgend just to teach you how to do the hyperlinks!
Seriously though (or even more seriously), it's good to get your longitudinal perspective on how a public artwork, and a public company, build ownership with that public. As you note it's always a stage by stage thing. Our strategy at this point is to build a community of artists and enthusiasts who, like you, believe in what we are trying to do and want to be part of making it work. It makes sense that at this point this community, substantial though it already is, will be primarily of artists and people who already have a strong interest in theatre/performance. In November, we launch our actual programme for our opening year (with shows starting in March 2010). We have just hired a web design firm, and a Communications Director, who will be putting together ideas and systems to make sure that at that point the widest possible public gets to know what our plans are - and gets behind it. Our big launch idea of 12 shows in 12 months in 12 different places using 12 different approaches to theatre is, we hope something that will strike the public imagination, but we will also be marketing each of those individual shows to audiences who just want to see that show! The trick is, once they come, to give them an experience of more than just one show - of a wider National Theatre Wales adventure that they may want to be part of. From November also, the community building will no longer just be online, but will take place in each of the places where we plan to produce work, so that people in those places have a real understanding and ownership of what we are trying to do. I hope that you will be part of that in Bridgend!
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