On this page you'll find details of WalesLab projects that have happened and links to more info about them.





WL01 -
Rachel Helena Walsh -
Norman & Judith


Castlemartin - October 2011


A chance discovery in a charity shop leads the way to the exploration and investigation of two people: Norman & Judith. Over 90 opened and unopened Royal Mail First Day Covers and letters were sent from Norman to Judith from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. Rachel & Owain Roach spent a week in a former post office in Castle Martin exploring the material.
Following the development week Rachel & Owain successfully applied to ACW for a grant to fund the further development & presentation of the project, which will be
 exhibited in the Milkwood Gallery, Cardiff from August 31st!
 


WL02 -Bridget Keehan -
Day to Go


Barry - November 2011


Day To Go
 is inspired by travels on Bridget's local bus in Barry.

In November 2011 Bridget spent a week exploring life journeys and bus stories alongside a poet, a choreographer, actors and the people they meet along the way.
Day to Go has subsequently recieved funding for further development from Arts Council of Wales.

WL03 -
good cop bad cop


Cardiff - December 2011/ March 2012


In this project good cop bad cop set out to explore the creative potential of ‘Text-to-Speech’ software in a live performance context.With the assistance of award-winning writer, Kaite O’Reilly, Richard Huw Morgan and John Rowley will attempt to develop a script-based text that parallels or in some way reflects the contingency and uncertainty of their more usual highly structured improvised works.Through playful experimentation and by exploiting the inherent idiosyncrasies of the most basic software gcbc will be looking to uncover themes and subject matter ‘appropriate’ for the myriad digital voices, including that of Agnes, Princess, Ralph, Bruce and Zarvox.


good cop bad cop spent a week at RWCMD in December and will do a week in The Gate in March 2012.


WL04- Bambo Soyinka -
Dial 419 for Love


Cardiff Airport - January & March 2012


“Dial 419 for Love” is a multiplatform drama inviting participants to explore the world of romance scammers and their love victims.


Bambo & her collaborators will spent time in a Cardiff Airport exploring scams before testing them on an audience.


You can find out more about the project on its website by clicking here.

WL05 - Bethan Marlow - Asylum


Cardiff, Conwy, Machynlleth, Newport April - May 2012 


Lunatic asylums….mental asylums…..mental hospitals…..
What happens if you’ve been deemed ‘insane’- what does that even mean?
If everyone in a room is ‘insane’ does that make them ‘sane’?
If you know that you’re not mad how do you prove that to others? Who sets the rules and what happens if you break them?

 Asylum is a site-specific exploration for a LARP (Live Action Role Play) exploring the boundaries of sanity through words, sound and movement.



You can read Bethan's blogs about week 1 here & week 2 here.

WL06 -
LIVEARTSHOW - Life after death


Castell Coch - March 2012


During a week’s research liveartshow were camped out at Castell Coch (a reputedly haunted site), speaking to members of the public about their views on life after death.

They attended a big medium show at St David’s Hall (Lisa Williams).

Had individual readings by psychics.

Met with Paranormal Wales – a group of investigators who regularly get called out to psychic happenings in the South Wales area.

Were given a guided tour around the haunted sites of Llandaff. There are plenty.

Looked into the work of Cardiff academic, psychologist and author David Fontana (who wrote Is There An Afterlife?)

At the end of the week they did give an answer as to whether or not there is life after death. It took the form of a small showing with music. They don’t know yet whether that is the answer. The investigation will continue.

WL07 -
Angharad Evans - Walking in the Shadows of Tom Mathias


Cilgerran - April 2012

Inspired by the Photographic imagery documented by
Tom Mathias (1866 – 1940) a self taught photographer who lived in Angharad's parents’ home address at the end of the Victorian era. Her parents found these negatives at the house where i was born. The images document the life, work, heritage and changing faces of Cilgerran.

Having grown up in the same house and a similar rural environment has inspired me to research and reflect upon the perspective of social and environmental changes through the generations.

During the week Angharad took photographer Paul Avis to Cilgerran to walk in the shadows of Tom Mathias. Mapping out a journey to the exact locations where the photographs were taken. Exploring the spaces, speaking to locals, taking Toms chair on a journey to discover the villages’ story as it is now, and exploring her own personal journey and connection with the village.


WL08 -Kylie Ann Smith - Ruckus


Llandysul - April 2012


Kylie Ann is developing choreography and characters for a dark comedydance/theatre piece inspired by Mexican wrestling, WWF, Boxing and Ballet. Creating a seedy, Fight Club-esq,



underground atmosphere, fusing raw contemporary contact work with Ballet pointe and character work to explore the 'masks' we hide behind, the facade we chose to portray, human fragility and vunerabilty.


Kylie and her collaborators spent a week in Penpynfarch developing choreography & the world of the charactres. You can read her blog. 

WL09 -
Rebecca Smith-Williams,
 As We Drown


Cwm Rheidol - May 2012

A mother and a daughter run a remote guest-house in the welsh hills...the daughter is desperate to escape to a new imagined life in the sun. How do we think we'll find happiness and to what lengths will we go to get it...?


This piece is inspired by
The misunderstanding by Albert Camus.


WL10 - Zoe Laferty - The Fear Of Breathing 

Rhosygilwen -  May 2012

Featuring verbatim scenes, interviews, stories and film footage, The Fear of Breathing is a powerful and hard-hitting portrait of the Syrian revolution.

You can read my observations from their workshop here.

Fear of Breathing is on at the Finborough Theatre from 17th July - 11th August

WL11 - Catherine Paskell- The Braughtigan Project

Milford Haven, November 2012