A new interactive multimedia exhibition which will run at Bangor University’s arts and innovation centre, Pontio between 8-18 August will invite the public to consider how we see the landscape around us based on what we know about it and who is telling us about it.
Through archive material, art, and sound, the ‘Changing Eryri’ exhibition in Pontio’s White Box will explore how our perception of a landscape such as Eryri can evolve, depending on who is in charge of the narrative and how that makes us feel.
Focused within the boundaries of the historic Penrhyn Estate, the exhibition forms part of the doctoral research project by Alex Ioannou entitled ‘Reframing Wales’ funded by the Draper’s Company.
Alex Ioannou said:
“I’m genuinely fascinated by how we interact with landscapes, but the idea for this particular exhibition started after I watched a documentary presented by Huw Stephens called ‘The Story of Welsh Art’.
“The documentary explored how art influenced people, and the idea of Welshness and Wales. People and places are depicted in different ways through art – sometimes mythical, sometimes gritty. There are artworks about Eryri that portray farmers or villagers, and other artwork depict old legends or royalty. We see communities and vast landscapes, sometimes romanticised and sometimes photographic. All this feeds in to how we feel about landscape over time, and our sense of who ‘owns’ it.”
In putting the exhibition together, Alex was keen for visitors to think about the landscape through a variety of media. So, visitors to the Changing Eryri exhibition can expect to explore documents, maps and letters from the Penrhyn Estate, provided through the Bangor University Archives and Special Collections. Visitors will also be able to listen to music composed by Composition MA student responding to the brief of ‘Dyffryn Ogwen’. Visitors will also be invited to feed into the research project by providing their own descriptions when it comes to the landscape of Eryri.
An important aspect of the exhibition is to examine how learning more about the rich history of our landscape can shape our attitude to change in the here and now.
Alex adds:
“The Welsh Government calls this ‘the decisive decade’ to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. The landscapes we know and the places we dwell in are changing, and Eryri is no exception. I’m interested in asking, though this exhibition, how we deal with this reality, and how what we know or learn about our landscape shapes our views on what we think should happen to it in the future.”
The exhibition runs from 8 August to 18 August WhiteBOX, Level 2 Pontio, Bangor – see website for opening times. Closed 10+11 August.
Special event
On Sunday, August 18th there will be a series of short talks, the sharing of wider archive collection material, as well as tea and coffee between 2-5pm. Additionally, Welsh folk singer Gwilym Bowen Rhys will perform songs about the landscape and communities of North Wales.
The project is supported by Bangor University’s Archives and Special Collections, the School of History, Law and Social Sciences, the Institute for the Study of Welsh Estates, Sir William Roberts Centre for Sustainable Land Use, the Department of Music, Drama and Performance and Pontio.
