Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ann Catrin Evans on June 28, 2012 at 6:01

Hi Abdul, thank you Angharad and Buddug for coming over and begining the project with us yesterday. We all had a great time and look forward to your next visit. x

Permalink Reply by Angela Evans on June 29, 2012 at 2:41

It was really exciting starting to put together possibilities and ideas, thought i'd write down my train of thought here, might not make much sense sorry!

Energy - gas works, mill, steam engine

History - Estate yard, park

Class system - today's/ yesteryear

Procession through park

Victorian Fair

Making and creating

Alternative music

Foreign influence - plants from all the world brought back to the park

Season's - landscapes changes with the seasons as do visitor numbers, things to see and do, colour, light

Iard - re-living the old use of the estate yard but in a contemporary method of working

Giving the ownership back to the local people

your park, your say??

Understanding whats at the park, an overview of things that happen here or showcasing of the talents there

Ok, ramble over, feel better now x

Permalink Reply by abdul shayek on June 29, 2012 at 5:02

Hey all - 

Thought the last few days were great.  Lovely to have come along to the park and see it in all it's glory.  There were some interesting ideas discussed however on the way back in the car the idea of re-birth emerged and maybe the re-birth of the park is a way to structure the event?  Some kind of ceremonial/ celebratory death and rebirth of the park?

Also questions and issues that need to be discussed in the event:

How can the park be self sustainable?

Why does the public not want to use it more regularly?

Who should be responsible for upkeep of the park?

How much does it matter to locals?

Is the park being let down by locals for not accessing it's past?

What is the potential of this park?

These are just some questions but please add any that I may not have listed which you think are important to the conversation.

Looking forward to coming back next week and then the following week in what should be an interesting few weeks of thinking through what the final event should be.

Ax 

  

Permalink Reply by Ann Catrin Evans on June 29, 2012 at 8:45

Fantastic Comments by both above. I will put pen to paper asap. x

Loved the drama taster for getting to know each other, see you sooon.

Permalink Reply by Buddug James Jones on July 2, 2012 at 5:17

　

Hi all!

I love the idea of some sort of re-birth celebration of park and I've been looking a bit at Mexico's 'Day of the Dead' celebrations. Mainly from an aesthetic point of view- not so much the skull image but more of the colours, pom pom decorations and the 'festival' feel to their ceremonies. When I was walking around the grounds, what fascinated me most was all of the variety of trees you have there and there was one tree in particular - the 'Tibetan Cherry' which looks like some one has wrapped it in ribbons! So, it got me thinking about the idea of 'wrapping' or 'protecting' the trees in colourful wool and maybe bringing in some of the forest to the yard.

Also ceremonies and rituals- is there something in the idea of creating 'rituals' for the audience to be involved with? Angela mentioned about the birds who fly away for the winter to Africa and come back every summer. Could there be a bit of an African influence? Especially with all of the drums we have to play with!

There was a plaque on the wall of the post room in memory of the man who used to run the courtyard and manage the post. There was a mentioned of his spirit staying with us in the yard- is there a potential character here? Also, on the way up to his post room there is a group of keys which caught Angharad and mine's eyes. Something about unlocking the potential of the park?? Also, wouldn't it be great if we could give a 'memento' to all the audience members of this one event in Glynllifon for them to take away and to keep? And maybe this token or key) could give them free access to the park for the rest of their lives (like a Blue Peter badge!). Maybe these tokens could be made out of the materials that are used by the IARD team- iron, slate, beading?

Questions-

- What do the locals want to see happening to the park?

- Do they know what is available for them at the park?

- Is it important to preserve Glynllifon and other parks alike across all of Wales?

 

Let me know your thoughts on all this- all opinions are much appreciated :)

 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Angela Evans on July 2, 2012 at 6:45

Wow i love that image of the day of the dead in Mexico, its that sort of vibrancy and visual impact we'd love to have so its really memorable and i think bringing in the outside influences in terms of countries, whether in the form of music, concept or whatever is a strong direction that we can identify with as its these influences we're hoping the broaden in the future by making it a place for alternative music performances - stuff you don't hear anywhere else, and craft mediums that you don't see anywhere else too.

Also love the wrapping of the trees, i think physically doing  that could be quite symbolic and its something that people of all ages can do and understand - just an idea, could they maybe have some sort of tag attached to the end of the ribbon or wool they use to wrap where they can write a message about the park, a wish or memory of the place? Some thing that would evoke good feeling and hopes for the future whilst doing it, and it'd also be like a suggestion box for us? The tags could be mounted somewhere afterwards?? thoughts..

On the subject of death and re-birth and mexico, i visited a mexican graveyard when i was there a few years ago and i was fascinated by it, there's no sombre gravestones like this country rather the graves were symbols of what was best about the person or what they loved, so there were ones that were a rowing boat and oars, the front of a vintage car etc, i have some photos which I'll dig out for you, they're old style, not digital, but in terms of concepts perhaps the death and rebirth could highlight the different areas of the park in some way like these graves did, i felt i knew something about the person even through there were no photos or other info, just the grave itself.

The keys - i for one would love to do something like this and see people taking away something special, Ann and i could make keys in wire, some aluminium, some steel, a basic hand crafted design from one length of wire could then be hammered and attached to a slate luggage tag with the details of the day engraved into it? We'd have to get making these quick though to achieve enough of them.

Permalink Reply by Angela Evans on July 2, 2012 at 6:47

I could actually make some keys in silver/ gold to be auctioned off or given to certain people

Permalink Reply by Angela Evans on July 3, 2012 at 1:38

Something Ann posted on the iard facebook page this morning, sort of fits with some of Buddug's ideas maybe?

Tanabata Festival (Star Festival) all over Japan.

Permalink Reply by Ann Catrin Evans on July 3, 2012 at 11:43

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=358468304225589&set=...

great minds think alike chwadal ac Ang!

Waw, am gyffroes! Fedrai ddechra gweld on dod efoi gilydd. Dyma oeddwni wedi bod yn meddwl amdan: - (ddudai yn saesneg i bawb ddallt)

I love all your suggestions, just blurting out some of mine here:-

• Height of the great old trees – the vast scale of the trees and their maturity, makes me think of their wisdom and history. Representing respect for nature. The tying of messages and adorning is so apt.
• Tree planting. There is a tree nursery in the park. Wouldnty it be lovely to plant an Oak as a lasting remembrance of the performance and the wishes of future generations of families.
• The river running through it – you are never that far away from water as you walk through the park. Liquid flowing positive energy.
• The self-sufficient energy created in the park during Lord Newborough’s day – steam, gas and saved energy from the water mill - and the creative energy there today through our craft courses and individual artists creating special works of art from raw materials.
• Flags – really tall flickering multiple colourful banners waving in the wind above the height of the Tall Enclosure Wall which kept the ‘peasants out and the pheasants in’. Signifying a happening.
• Fire – I am a great lover of fire, and believe in its significance, along with water, for rebirth and drama.
• Willow – I initially imagined a willow lantern procession of massive lit structures through the park. The shapes could be made together by many. The lantern idea brings bright colours and light to the park. Alternatively, they could be simply big spheres which are rolled around. The College grows Willow as BioFuel, so large willow would be available for construction possibly.
• Rockets and boats because I love them!
• Confetti – I love the idea of an explosion of petals and colour
• Making musical instruments – in the week for part of the performance – percussion instruments. Stomper shakers with bottle tops and sticks.

Speak soon xxxx

 

Permalink Reply by Buddug James Jones on July 3, 2012 at 3:11

That's a great image and I like the idea of having tree/suggestion box. There's a wishing tree in China where you tie your wish to an orange and throw it up high and if the orange/wish get caught in the branches your wish will come true. Maybe it could be something similar? I've seen images of those graves before, I did an installation in Uni about them actually! There's a community somewhere in South America that have the graves in their homes and gardens- their a part of the furninshings! I think we need to find a sort of balance between the foreign influences and what we have on the sight. We don't want to distract the audience from the park and the discussions by having all these decorative objects and colourful distractions!

 

We need to find a way to tie in the discussions with characters and stories/events, design etc during the performance and find a way to make Glynllifon the heart of the piece. Should we start looking to find characters and a running story to create discussions during the performance? Undertakers? Farmers? Artists? Workers? Post officer? Who are the people of Glynllifon? Should they be from the past or the future? And why are these people here today starting these conversations with us? Should there be a big event which has brought them all here today? Is it the funeral/re-birth? Why should these characters care so to go to such efforts? Would they be hosts?

 

I'm not sure if I'm making much sense! Just typing what I'm thinking but share your thoughts whatever they are!

Permalink Reply by Angela Evans on July 3, 2012 at 6:34

I'm back at Glynllifon tomorrow, been away doing workshops on Anglesey so i'll see if i can have a chat to one of the wardens tomorrow who's been at the park for about 25years, there's lots of images and historical information in one of the rooms in the mill and i wonder if it could have any characters for you...

Permalink Reply by Angela Evans on July 4, 2012 at 0:22

Poossible characters, Just been speaking with the wardens breifly, the site formean of the old estate yard was Williams Cadwaladr Williams (i think you saw the plaque in the iard) but another quite colourful character was the gameskeeper, not sure of his first name but his surname was Thorman, he lived in the fort (not part of the park land anymore) and had about 14 children as rumour has it, there are quite regularly descendants of his visiting the park from all over the world, his diaries are available in the Caernarfon archives, i wondered if he could be a good character to talk about the park itself as he would have known it like the back of hand, very much like the wardens today. Will keep digging.

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