This year’s Annual Conference, ‘Breaking Boundaries’ was an inspirational showcase of how the arts can transcend physical and mental boundaries in all walks of life.
ACW returned to Aberystwyth Arts Centre again this year and welcomed a diverse group of speakers, which included: John Holden (Demos), New York artist, Brian Tolle, Minister for Heritage, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, AM, and Gwyn L Williams, 2008 Cultural Olympiad Programmer for Wales.
Wales’s national dance company, ‘Diversions’ performed an extract from their latest performance, “Alternative Routes” and Jazz Pianist, Rebecca Nash,
recently awarded a HRH Prince of Wales Advanced Study Award in Music 2008, performed at the Conference dinner.
Other seminar themes included an open space session, which gave delegates the opportunity to create their own discussions; ‘Theatre for the very young’, led by Creative Wales artist, Sarah Argent; ‘Fresh Innovations – BME arts and interculturalism in Wales’; ‘Euro-regional and International Cultural co-operation’ and ‘Rapporteur’s Report’ by award-winning novelist, Caryl Lewis, which is included below.
Caryl Lewis 'Rapporteur's Report'
Caryl Lewis
‘Breaking Boundaries’ was the theme of the day and it’s fair to say that the conference managed to do that on many levels. I suppose that one can only find limits by pushing them, and the arts have an integral role in advancing humanity by their innate daring, rebelliousness and ingenuity. As Simone de Beauvoir once said, ‘to show your true ability, is always in a sense, to surpass the limits of your ability, to go a little beyond them, to dare, to seek, to invent; it is at such a moment that new talents are revealed, discovered and realised.’
There was a strong sense at the conference of different groups of people bound together in a mutually beneficial pursuit. It was this pursuit that was explored in the first session of the day by John Holden. How culture, particularly a minority one, will fare against the challenges of globalisation is a question that faces us all. John Holden, through his stimulating keynote speech, made us aware of the step change that has occurred in our lifetime. On one hand, we are maintaining and nurturing traditional art forms, on another, new cultures are emerging smelted from the multifarious influences in this new world. People are turning back to ‘live’ experiences and have an increased vigour in learning about culture. New technology has given us the tools to then personalise that culture. With cultural authority replaced by a network of responses, there was a real sense of people trying to find foothold. Culture and the arts might just provide the grip.
As I mentioned, the conference broke new ground on many levels, not least through its very structure. The rhythm of the day, which flowed organically from presentations and live performances to film and open space sessions, was very refreshing and seemed to energise the delegates. This format seems to suit the conference’s vivacious content and was very welcome. The first of these alternative discussion sessions was the ‘Open Space’ session with Miles Harrison. It offered no agenda, just a place for free debate, a platform for airing challenges and issues: issues as varied as developing the developers of the arts, touring visual art, reaching out to other countries and the funding of the arts were discussed. Although disparate topics, there seemed to be a commonality in the way that the term, ‘linked-up’, appeared in very many of the discussions. Many groups seemed to be calling for, ‘joined-up’, thinking. Making better use of existing funding was one subject, using existing technology to promote access and inclusivity in rural areas was another. One group discussed making use of existing organisations such as the Urdd and Youth Arts Wales to spearhead a campaign to support young Welsh artists on an international level. A group discussing ‘audiences’ talked of sharing marketing ideas. The sessions allowed the delegates to discuss their own pressing issues and be linked up with people interested in the same things. A seed-bed for ideas, I’m sure the discussions started at the conference will continue well into the next weeks and months.
The afternoon opened with a breathtaking extract from Alternative Routes by Diversions which was a very fitting prelude to the Minister for Heritage’s speech. They were congratulated on their recent successes and the young dancers served as a wonderful reminder that young Welsh artists deserve the very best in arts provision. It was a pleasure to listen to the Minister for Heritage’s speech and interesting to learn that the Assembly Government are seeking to place a statutory duty on local authorities to promote culture and the arts. The Minister highlighted the work already done in implementing the recommendations of the Stephens report by ensuring a strong strategic relationship between the Assembly Government and the Arts Council and the development of beacon companies. The Minister underlined the need to find a new way of planning cultural development. As always, ‘diwedd y gân yw’r geiniog’. He intends to examine new and alternative funding models which will allow for more flexibility and move away from the historical model of funding. Young people and the public will also take part in this process. We’ll look forward to learning about the new Culture Strategy for Wales which will be developed over the next year.
Finally, the seminars in the afternoon truly reflected the cultural diversity of Wales. Jane Llewellyn Dixon and Martin Cope reflected on the challenges of re-engaging young people into learning through the arts. Giving young people the tools to express themselves artistically is an essential part of their education. Ironically, through new technologies, young people are almost constantly ‘in touch’ yet are finding it increasingly difficult to ‘communicate’. Arts are therefore an increasingly important tool for exploring communication. The confidence, self-esteem and the leadership skills that participation in the arts fosters is a given and we heard in the session about new initiatives to re-engage young people. Providing enrichment materials, Summer Arts Colleges and Arts Awards, are all ways in which to reach out. Many of the activities had embedded literacy and numeracy elements. Providing alternate ways of learning boosts self-confidence in young people who have perhaps been left outside mainstream education. Empowering them and giving them a sense of ownership were important elements of the session.
Sarah Argent pushed the boundaries of what we think is appropriate theatre for very young children. We were led into a fascinating new world - a frontier of theatre for children as young as nine months. It seems that we need to open our minds and appreciate that very small children are receptive to, and can partake in, complex and subtle artistic communication. Sarah showed us that theatre can be used to introduce children to the world through word, emotion, sound, sight, taste and texture and that perhaps we should demand more from theatre for the very young rather than the usual ‘safe’, ‘giggle-inducing,’ ‘brightly-coloured fare’ we have been used to.
The legacy of art was what was explored by Brian Tolle in the round studio. He asked questions about ‘what we remember’ and ‘what we forget’. Brian Tolle plaits history and fiction in his work and creates installations which respond directly to their locality. He uses new technology to shape his work and pushes our ideas of how art works are formed.
The importance of maintaining an open cultural dialogue was underlined by Donato Giuliani. He spoke of the importance of meeting people from different cultural backgrounds face to face. Sharing information and successful work models was the crux of the session. He underlined the need to co-operate with each other – a theme that has recurred persistently throughout the afternoon.
The last session of the day was by Nicky Delgado, Steve Fletcher and Amaru Chatawa. We were treated to a live performance and heard of the positive contributions of refugee community artists. We heard of a database that is being complied that will make accessing these artists easier.
The last keynote speaker was Gwyn L Williams. He enlightened us regarding the Cultural Olympiad which will provide an opportunity to showcase Welsh arts and artists to the world. The Olympiad, whose lead partner in Wales is the Arts Council of Wales, will offer a suite of different projects and events. Projects such as Kindling the Talent will be serviced by the Urdd and Valleys Kids. Cauldrons and Furnaces is a project on CADW sites all over Wales which will involve artists and art practitioners. Wales has a pot of £1.67m available for projects which merit it.
In conclusion, the conference served to remind us of the wonderful capaciousness of the Welsh culture. This elasticity places it in a strong position for testing the limits of the arts. Finding footholds, ‘joined-up’ thinking and ‘piggybacking’ other organisations and using available resources were sub-themes for the day. Conferences are in essence a place to come for conversation, for debate and for the exchange of ideas. It will be interesting to see how some of these ideas will germinate and help shape the future of the arts in Wales.
Caryl Lewis
Rapporteur
