Arts and Climate Change
Awel Aman Tawe is currently running a programme of arts projects that reflect on Climate Change and engage people in creating works that make an artistic response to our changing world.
2011/2012 Projects:
Poetry Competition on Climate Change 2012. We ran a poetry competition, judged by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Elin ap Hywel. Nearly 700 entries from all over the world.
Poetry Anthology on Climate Change. Our second anthology: ‘And this Global Warming. A’r Cynhesu Byd-Eang Hwn’.
We’re Oil in this Together – Community Arts Project
In 2010 we delivered a broad programme of arts activities specifically themed around climate change. The arts have often been used to represent and argue new technologies, political ideas, social upheavals, and AAT saw this as an opportunity to engage local people in what can be a controversial and unpopular subject. The programme encouraged people to ‘get creative’ using a range of media including film, animation, poetry, printmaking, design, collage and performance. AAT worked with existing arts groups, community groups as well as attracting further interest from other members of the community.
Over 750 people participated in the arts programme, many of whom were not previously familiar with or confident in discussing issues related to climate change. Particularly successful were:
Nine Meals from Anarchy a weekend theatre project in which 16 people created a play that addressed issues of food transport. The play was performed to an audience of 60 in Pontardawe Arts Centre.
Poetry: AAT ran a bilingual poetry competition on the theme of climate change judged by National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke and Award winning Welsh language poet Menna Elfyn. It attracted 350 entries from adults and children. AAT published a book of the best entries called ‘Heno, Wrth Gysgu’ and launched it at the prize giving night at Pontardawe Arts Centre to a packed audience of 120.
Film and Animation: Expert animator Oscar Stringer ran a workshop on Stop Motion animation in Brynaman for a group of enthusiastic adults and children who created a series of animations on the theme of climate change. These were screened during AAT’s film festival where local filmmakers and environmental activists spoke about the making of short films about environmental issues.
Postcards from the Future: Taking collage and design materials around to events and groups, AAT invited people to design a postcard depicting their image of the future. At one event people were busy cutting, sewing and sticking until 4 am. All the postcards were judged by Jeff and Sally Spedding (local art teachers) who selected 6 postcards to be printed up as a set.
