Awst, 2025
Awst, 2025
Casi Wyn
Cafwyd tridiau i’w gofio yn y Bannau Brycheiniog ddechrau fis Gorffennaf. Ar ôl chwe mis o ddatblygu trylwyr a hwyliog yn fy rôl fel curadur gwadd; dyma gyflwyno preswyliad Pegwn, 2025.
Mae cyd-weithio a thîm Peak dros y misoedd diwethaf wedi bod yn bleser, yn antur ac yn ysbrydoliaeth. Cefais fy ymestyn a nhynnu i bob cyfeiriad wrth edrych ar themâu posib fydda’n sail i’r preswyliad.
Roedd crwydro o gwmpas tiroedd cyfagos i swyddfeydd Peak yn agor drysau i syniadau. Er mai iaith oedd dan sylw yn wreiddiol - gair - a phenomenon ynddi hun, dyma ddechrau meddwl sut y gall hynny gysylltu gyda phrofiadau eraill.
Ryw fore ym mis Ebrill felly, wrth gael ein harwain ar daith ymchwil hyd Fynydd Llangatwg uwch Cwm y Wysg ger Crughywel, wrth astudio wyneb craig - cefais fy nghyflwyno am y tro cyntaf i’r gair anastomosis. Yma eglurodd Alan Bowring, sy’n ddaearegwr ac un o swyddogion Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog, bod y term yn disgrifio system o lwybrau – yn afonydd, pibellau gwaed neu system ogofâu – sy’n gwahanu ac ail-gysylltu dro ar ôl tro.
Rhwydwaith yw iaith, tir, a theimlad hefyd - ac felly y bu hi dan arweiniad Rebecca Voelker, Hanan Issa, Alan Bowring a mi. Wrth danio’r preswyliad gyda Rebecca - dyma gynnig pontydd croesawgar i’n hartistiaid fentro mewn i fyd ysgrifennu am y tro cyntaf, gyda nifer ohonynt yn fwy cyfarwydd gyda ymarfer o fewn cyfryngau proffesiynnol sy’n fwy gweledol a pherfformiadol.
Arbenigedd Rececca yw Sinema’r Tir - sy’n edrych ar weithiau ffilm wneuthurwyr sy’n defnyddio’r tir fel prif gyfeiriad a churiad naws y ffilm a’r stori neu’r portread sydd ynghlwm a hi. Mae ffurf a siâp o fudd i’r sawl sydd am arbrofi neu ddechrau ysgrifennu - ac wrth inni edrych ar ‘y llythyr’ fel ffurf i’n hesmwytho mewn i’r ymarferion - aeth ein dychymyg, drwy bortal y presennol tuag at ein gorffennol at le neu berson arwyddocaol o fewn ein bywydau.
Bardd Cenedlaethol Presennol Cymru, Hanan Issa oedd yr ail artist gwadd i ymuno gyda ni’n ardal y Mynyddoedd Duon - gan ein herio i ysgrifennu o fewn cyfyngiadau amser, ein hannog i geisio dychwelyd at amseroedd oedd yn fwy rhwystredig neu’n anodd yn ein bywydau - dad-gloddio atgofion a’u grym hwythau i’n hysbrydoli, ysgrifennu o ffrwd ein hymennydd, yn ogystal â sgwrsio’n agored am yr hyn sy’n gymhelliant i’n creadigrwydd.
Ond tu hwnt i ddod ynghyd o gwmpas y bwrdd bwyd a’r bwrdd gwaith - neilltuwyd un diwrnod yn gyfan gwbl i gerdded allan yn yr awyr iach. Dan dywysiad daearegol Alan Bowring a fi - dyma gyfle i rannu cerddi ar goedd, i sylwi ar y gwahaniaethau daearyddol yn nhirlun y darn yma o Gymru o’i gymharu â darnau oedd yn fwy cyfarwydd i’r artisitiaid oedd yn cymryd rhan - i sgwrsio am ‘awen’ - o le y daw hi, ei defnydd a sut mae rhoi hynny ar waith o fewn ein disgyblaethau proffesiynol ein hunain.
Hoffwn ddiolch o galon i’r holl artistiaid unigryw, amrywiol eu gwaith a’i safbwyntiau difyr, fuodd yn rhan o’r wythnos ddechrau’r haf; Hedydd Ioan, Darya Williams, Larysa Martseva, Eddie Ladd, Owain McGilvary, Penny Hallas ac Aur Bleddyn. A diolch yn ogystal i staff a thîm Peak a chyfieithu ar y pryd Iestyn Tyne - mae amser a gofod yn amhrisiadwy i unrhyw artist, neu yn wir, i unrhyw fod dynol - felly mae cynllunio wythnos fel hon, lle caiff yr iaith Gymraeg hawlio trywydd ac arwain y llyw yn bwysig - ac yn fodd gyda lwc i’w naturioli hi.
Dyma le i iaith ffynnu heb dicio bocs, yn atogffad ei bod hi ar gael i’w mwynhau a’i defnyddio ym mha bynnag ffordd mae’r dychymyg yn peintio.
We had three memorable days in Bannau Brycheiniog at the beginning of July. After six months of careful and enjoyable development in my role as guest curator; here are my reflections on Pegwn's 2025 residency.
Collaborating with the Peak team over the past few months has been a pleasure, an adventure and an inspiration. I was stretched and pulled in all directions when exploring possible themes to form the foundations of the residency.
Wandering around the area near Peak's offices opened doors to ideas. Although language was the original focus - a word - and a phenomenon in itself, I began to think about how that can connect with other experiences.
So one morning in April, during a guided research trip to Llangatwg Mountain above the Usk Valley near Crickhowell, studying a rock face - I was introduced for the first time to the word anastomosis. Here, Alan Bowring, a geologist and one of the officers of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, explained that the term describes a system of pathways - rivers, blood vessels or a system of caves - that separate and reconnect again and again.
Language, land, and feelings are also a network - and that was it, led by Rebecca Voelcker, Hanan Issa, Alan Bowring and me. Starting off the residency with Rebecca - we were able to welcome our artists into the world of writing for the first time, many of whom were more familiar with more visual and performative practices within their professions.
Rebecca's expertise lies in Land Cinema - which looks at the work of filmmakers who use the land as the main reference and pulse of the film's mood and the story or portrayal attached to it. Form and shape are beneficial for those who want to experiment or start writing - and as we look at 'the letter' as a form to ease us into the exercises - our imagination travelled through the portal of the present towards our past to a significant place or person within our lives.
Current National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa was the second guest artist to join us in the Black Mountains - challenging us to write within time constraints, encouraging us to try to return to times that were more frustrating or difficult in our lives - unearthing memories and their power to inspire us, writing from the stream of unconsciousness, as well as chatting openly about what motivates our creativity.
However, as well as getting together around the dining table and the work table - one day was dedicated entirely to a walk outdoors in the fresh air. Under the geological guidance of Alan Bowring and me - this was an opportunity to share poems aloud, to notice the geographical differences in the landscape of this part of Wales compared to parts that were more familiar to the participating artists - to chat about the 'muse' - where it comes from, its use and how we put that into practice within our own professional disciplines.
I would like to give a very big thank you to all the unique artists, their diverse work and interesting perspectives, who were part of the week at the beginning of the summer; Hedydd Ioan, Darya Williams, Larysa Martseva, Eddie Ladd, Owain McGilvary, Penny Hallas and Aur Bleddyn. And thanks also to the Peak staff and team and Iestyn Tyne for the simultaneous translation - time and space are priceless for any artist, or indeed, for any human being - so planning a week like this, where the Welsh language provides direction and leads the way is important - and with any luck, a way to make it more natural.
This is a place for language to flourish without ticking a box, a reminder that it is there to be enjoyed and used in whatever way the imagination paints it.
