"….a locale of cultural intervention and innovation, a place of experiment, claim, conflict, negotiation, transgression: a place where preconceptions, expectations and critical faculties maybe dislocated and confounded.... a place where things may still be at risk - beliefs, classifications, lives". Mike Pearson and Michael Shanks, Theatre/Archaeology

Mae Heledd yn creu ymholiadau cydweithredol a chyfranogol sy’n bywiogi llefydd cyfarfod, gan greu cysylltiadau newydd a gweithio gyda gwahanol ffyrdd o wybod o amgylch ‘safle’ - lleoliad corfforol, maes gwybodaeth, gwrthdaro neu ddadl ddiwylliannol.  Rwy’n ceisio dechrau o bwynt o ‘heb-wybod’ yn gweithio gyda chydweithredwyr a chyfranogwyr i ddarganfod ymrwymiadau dynol a mwy na dynol newydd. Er mwyn hwyluso'r llefydd hyn, efallai y byddaf yn defnyddio gosod, fideo, ffotograffiaeth, sain, testun, lluniadu, cerdded, deialog, gwefannau, blogiau, digwyddiadau neu berfformiad... ac weithiau mae’r gwaith yn aros yn y broses, yn byw yn y ddeialog a’r perthnasoedd y mae’n eu creu, heb unrhyw ‘ganlyniad’ ffurfiol o gwbl.

Lindsey creates collaborative and participative inquiries that activate spaces of encounter, forging new connections and working with different ways of knowing around a ‘site’ - a physical location, field of knowledge, conflict or cultural debate.  I try to begin from a point of ‘un-knowing’ working with collaborators and participants to discover new human and more-than-human entanglements. To facilitate these spaces, I may use installation, video, photography, sound, text, drawing, walking, dialogue, websites, blogs, events or performance … and sometimes the work stays in the process, living in the dialogue and relationships it creates, with no formal ‘outcome’ at all.

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Supporting socially and environmentally engaged creative practice

Supporting socially and environmentally engaged creative practice

As well as my artistic practice, I have 30 years’ experience as a professional facilitator, trainer, advisor and designer of participatory processes, including conflict resolution and dialogue. I specialise in sustainability, and spent 10 years as a Commissioner on the UK Sustainable Development Commission. Currently I am on the Board of the Anthropocene Alliance (advising on community engagement around flooding in the US), and I am a surveyor for the British Trust for Ornithology. I use this experience within my art projects : these almost always start with research, and a core, multi-disciplinary collaboration.  Often, this core collaboration will be used to build wider engagement with the project, so the project becomes an investigation that involves as many different people - and perspectives - as possible. [Read more thoughts about my approach here]

I am also a coach and mentor, and programme evaluator (including Oriel Davies’ Open Space programme, February 2018). I am a Creative Practitioner with the Lead Creative Schools Scheme,  working with Ysgol Llandrillo-yn-Rhos (2017) and Ysgol Aberconwy (2018), and have run various courses on co-creation, socially engaged practice and collaboration for EDAU, Arts Council Wales and others. I’m a board member of Plas Bodfa Projects and also a member of PLaCE International, a research consortium of creative individuals that addresses issues of site, location, context and environment at the intersection of many disciplines and practices.

In 2023 I went into partnership with Lisa Hudson to found Carreg Creative. Carreg Creative provides a range of services to support socially and environmentally engaged creative practice in order to creatively explore the possibility of a more connected world. We facilitate situations in which entanglement can occur, in order to create a better world for the human and more than human.  To find out more about our services, please click here or on the Carreg Creative image.

Interview with Dr Sarah Pogoda in which I describe my practice + snippets of various projects

PRACTICE DIARY

2024

  • Narrating Rural Change Network - I’m giving a talk on Utopias Bach/Merched y Tir 24.6.24

  • Shakespeare’s Dark Lady Speaks - supporting Audrey West and a team of creatives, including video documentation

  • Gofod Glas - Dyfodol Dyffrynnoedd Conwy. Facilitation of partnership between Ffiwsar, North Wales Wildlife Trust and Natural Resources Wales (funded by Esmee Fairburn Foundation), and lead creative, exploring how to work creatively with communities to improve freshwater (including Ministry Dwr of Water)

  • Carreg Creative - Tân a Llif: [How to get] into and out of the Cabinet? Comisiwn Storiel/Oriel Gyfoes Genedlaethol Cymru. Storiel/National Contemporary Art Galley for Wales Commission March - October 2024

  • Archwilio Partneriaethau Traws Sector // Exploring Cross Sector Partnerships. Online, Zoom with Ffiwsar and Natural Resources Wales. April 2024

  • Stori’r Tir Dyffryn Peris - beth ydy stori ein perthynas gyda’r tir? What’s the story of our relationship with land. A creative approach engaging communities in the valley where i live with Emily Meilleur, Angharad Owen and GwyrddNi. As well as coordinating the project, I’m exploring Enwau Caeau - Field names; Chwedlau’r Tir Legends of the Land and Stori’r Tir Coed Gwydr,

  • Utopias Bach continues

  • Continued facilitation of community discussions for the way forward with Hwb Croesor

  • Crone Cast R&D for a new performance around Baba Yaga, with Polish and Ukrainian connections

  • Working with GwyrddNi Dyffryn Peris, taking forward actions from our Climate Assembly, particularly Dwr a Thir - Water and Land. This builds on my Sgwrs Dyffryn Peris ongoing project

  • Rewilding the Artist - Breaking New Ground: partner/support worker for Gaia Redgrave on a 2-year Arts Council Wales funded project testing and developing ways to support well-being (in particular for neurodiverse/disabled artists) through the creation of individualised sustainable practice (with Utopias Bach)

  • Continuation of Corlan y Coed/Treefold


2023

Forest Comes to Pontio, Utopias Bach, 2023

  • Established Carreg Creative in partnership with Lisa Hudson, creatively exploring a more connected world through socially and environmentally engaged creative practice

  • Merlod Gwyllt: Wild Ponies. Curating an installation/exhibition of works exploring Wild Ponies as a symbol of heritage, survival, nature and language for Manon Prysor’s Llais y Lle project, Llanfairfechan. November 2023

2022

Crone Cast, 2022

Sydney Nolan Trust Residency, 2022

  • Utopias Bach - founder, partner and ‘Keeper of the Compost"‘ in this co-created socially engaged collective (ongoing, with funding from Arts Council Wales 2021-22), leading on collaboration and a number of community based ‘experiments’ including Gwalchmai, working with young people to set the agenda for adults considering the future of a community, Merched y Tir, creatively exploring the relationship between women and land,particularly welsh speaking women and women of colour, as a potential mini node of transformation for environmental and social justice [Just transition] , The Octopus of Omnipotence - an experiment in kindness and inclusion with Gaia Redgrave and Samina Ali.

  • Dyffryn Dyfodol - one of the lead artists in this socially engaged art project (ongoing), hosted by Ffiwsar in Dyffryn Conwy Valley.

  • Gwyl Metaboliaeth Festival - Crone Cast (in Aldi car park) and Hu-Mycelium performances at this arts festival in and around Bangor. August 2022.

  • Residency at the Sydney Nolan Trust with Jony Easterby. August 2022

  • Avant Garde to Afon Gad - Artistic practices in Wales. Now and then. Panel member for this conversation performance for Direct Art. June 2022.

  • Two films about going Terrestrial in Collective (Trawsffurfiad and Hagira) selected by Marc Rees for a showcase as part of his curation of 12 artists for Celfyddydau Rhyngwladol Cymru: Wales Arts International as a response to COP 26, and Hagira shown on Conwy Suspension Bridge as part of National Trust’s Creative Climate Conversations

  • Interview with Sarah Pogoda about the 2021 Metamorffosis festival, arts during the pandemic and beyond for AHRC research project

  • Commissioned to create a bilingual film for Ceinws community in support of their continued use of an abandoned Forestry Camp

  • Facilitation training and mentoring support for Gwyrddni, and their community-based climate change assemblies in 5 areas in North Wales.

  • Hirbarhad durational performance exploring nuclear waste, Pontio, Bangor, 3.2.22

  • Small Scale Solutions - Reinventing the live event Trawsffufiad guided visualisation workshop for an international online event by Bangor University 21-22.2.22

  • Facilitation of strategy discussions for Clough Williams Ellis Foundation. January 2022


2021

Utopias Bach, 2021

Pegwn, 2021

  • Utopias Bach - revolution in miniature. Working with Samina Ali, Wanda Zyborska, Lisa Hudson and Plas Bodfa along with about 50 others on this co-created community engaged ‘strawberry plant’ of a project, with lots of things sprouting! We received Arts Council Funding for this project in June 2021.

  • Performance of Bwystori Bethesda at Oriel CARN gallery, Caernarfon 19.11.21

  • Facilitator for Culture as Sustainability IMPACT Learning Exchange (November 2021). International virtual conversations designed to offer unique spaces for sharing ideas, professional learning, and reflection on topics important to the growth and sustainability of the Art, Culture and Conflict Transformation (ACCT) ecosystem

  • Dyffryn Dyfodol - lead artist and facilitator for a partnership between Ffiwsar, Natural Resources Wales and Cartrefi Conwy to develop an exciting new socially engaged art project in Dyffryn Conwy.

  • Crone Cast - performances on Bangor High Street (June) and Dinas Dinlle (october) with Wanda Zyborska, Lisa Hudson, Samina Ali, Steph Shipley, Rhona Bowey and Emily Meilleur

  • Sgwrs Dyffryn Peris Conversation - an experiment, bringing together my background in facilitation and concern about the state of the world, in fy milltir sgwâr, Dyffryn Peris. Based on one:one conversations in the valley, looking for common ground. Includes various interventions. Ongoing

  • Gwyl Metamorffosis Festival - part of a collective hosting a week of art, mustic, performance, dance, film and poetry. Bangor/Porthaethwy 21 - 27.6.21

  • Pegwn - part of Peak Cymru’s project exploring is a group and platform, hosted by Peak Cymru, for the circulation of ideas around dyfodolau Cymraeg, Welsh language futures. “sut gall y syniadau rhain yn nghyd-destun ‘dyfodolau Cymraeg’ gynnig ffyrdd o ddychmygu sut gallwn ail-greu diwylliant allan o’r foment hon o ansefydlogrwydd a thrawsnewid?”

  • Collaboration guidance and training for Arts Council Wales ‘Connect and Flourish’ fund



rhaglen gymraeg.jpg

Surrealist Saffaru, 2020

2020

Llinellau Llif, 2020

2019

Canu Chwarel - Singing Slate, Merched Chwarel 2019

  • Bwystori (Bestiary) @ Gwyl Afon Ogwen 28-29 September 2019: Collaborative creation and performance working with a ‘full species list’ for the 1km around the festival site, with Emily Meilleur and the Marmaladies

2018

GRRRLS in the Garej, 2018

Llif @ MSparc, 2018

Llif @ MSparc, 2018

  • O Fama i Fama: A People’s Map of Llandudno. Residency at CALL, Llandudno. Results included online events and walks, and Hanes Llanddynes, the story of Llandudno from the perspective of the women, from 18,000 years ago to the present. Work ongoing, including facilitating a meeting to explore how the arts can play a significant role in Llandudno in the future,  contributing to the collation of the results of the Ideas-People-Places project, and Grrls in the Garej performance/installation as part of the Stryd Art Street, LLAWN '06.

  • LLAWN, Llandudno (Sept): A two-day exhibition and performance as GRRRLs in the Garej (with Wanda Zyborska and Lisa Hudson), the culmination of a year-long socially engaged residency.

  • Wrexham Open (Sept - Dec): Installation and performance with GRRRLs in the Garej and Hanes Llanddynes (Ty Pawb)

  • Collaboration for Creatives. I ran two participative training days for Helfa Gelf (Llandudno and Corris), July and August.

  • Wellcome Trust: Workshop with researchers and socially engaged artists

  • MSPARC (March - June): Installation (Llif: Lab) and marble-run building workshop for about 300 people of all ages. With Lisa Hudson and Dr Jonathan Malarkey.

  • Merched Chwarel (March): Exhibition of results of our R&D project, with facilitated discussion and feedback.

  • Llif/Flow: Collaboration with Lisa Hudson and Dr Jonathan Malarkey, School of Ocean Sciences, Rhys Trimble, Katherine Betteridge, Sioned Eleri Roberts & David Hopewell. Synthesis project at Pontio, Bangor 2016), bi-lingual immersive laboratory, 500 participants;  Llif Labordy Môn installation, film and performance, Lle Celf, yr ‘Steddfod Genedlaethol, Ynys Mon; Pontio (Sept – Dec ’17); MSParc (March 2018).

  • Creative Practitioner for Lead Creative Schools project working with 30 pupils on their "Robots Project Based Learning" in year 7 in Ysgol Aberconwy (developing collaboration skills) over 8 weeks. Included research, guided visualisation and self-guided creative presentations.



2017     

Ugly Sheep, 2017

  • CONNEXION 2017: Wales & International artists residency "Carried Luggage". Plas Brondanw. Installation as part of group show (curated by John Brown), with Ugly Sheep durational performance as Xsexcentenary with Wanda Zyborska.

  • Ex-Sexcentenary: Performance with Wanda Zyborska, Lisa Hudson and Antonia Dewhurst as part of ‘The Disappearing L’ at Studio Maelor, Corris.

  • Coed a Phren: Photographer and facilitator of two sharing events for Jony Easterby’s Creative Wales project.

  • Creative Practitioner for Lead Creative Schools project, working with 60 pupils in year 5 in Ysgol Llandrillo-yn-Rhos primary school developing creative habits of mind and maths skills through creative arts (exploring pattern through sound and observation, constructing marble runs) over 8 weeks. With Stuart Bond, Luke Evans and Jenny Holloway.

2016  

Big Democracy Project, 2016

  • Retake, Reinvent Part 1. Socially engaged psychogeoraphical approach involving conversations while ‘wandering in circles around Blaenau in search of traces of women, as if part of the furniture’ in response to 'Blaenau Ffestiniog Circle' by Richard Long, 2011. Part of Marged Pendrell’s 'Retake, Reinvent' initiative with National Museum Wales.

  • The Big Democracy Project. Show developed with refugees on Identity, at the Oasis Centre, Cardiff. I was the documentor & facilitator for the show. NTW.

  • 5 films (made for Digging Down and Llif/Flow) shown at Pontio, Bangor

  • Cynydd Sheela: Outdoor 3-D interactive sculpture from materials found within y milltir sgwar of the site, made in response to the celtic, Romano-British Settlement and industrial archaeology in Caim, Anglesey and designed to change itself into a relic over the 5-month installation period (in collaboration with Lisa Hudson)

  • Digging Down II: A Curiously Creative Museum of Lost, Found & Broken’ with Marged Pendrell. Reimagining the museum as a participatory collection and curation of found objects. Part of National Theatre Wales’(NTW) residency at Pontio and Storiel, Bangor. April 2016

  • Selected as the guest participant in The Postcard Collective postcard exchange, USA.

  • 2 pieces in the “Send us a Postcard” open exhibition, Storiel, Bangor.

2015    

Digging Down, 2015

2014 

Symffoni Bethesda: Offering (Afon Ogwen Remix) 2014

  • Bird Collisions made in collaboration with Jony Easterby and Gwilym Morus-Baird f For the Birds, an immersive night-time journey light and sound in woodland locations: Ynys Hir, York, London, New Zealand, Brighton, Durham.

  • Symffoni Bethesda: Offering (Afon Ogwen Remix). Interactive piece as part of art in the woods, involving archaeological dig from the river. Gwyl Afon Ogwen River Festival, Bethesda.

  • 'In and Out of the Citadel' film shown at Strzemiński Academy of Art Łódź, Poland, as part of ICAW (International Contemporary Art Wales). Included running a symposium at the Academy with Alma Izri from Macedonia.

2013     

  • University of Bangor, Hidden Worlds, Hidden Artists, a six-month residency at the School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University in which I explored historic links between the quarries, the university, geology and religion.

  • Painting, photographic and print works shown at Storiel, Gwynedd Art Gallery & Museum (commendation); Oriel Pendeitsh; Royal Cambrian Academy; TOGYG.

Education and Professional Development

EGIN residency July 2019. Photo by Steve Peake

EGIN residency July 2019. Photo by Steve Peake

2012-     One-day-a-week Welsh course with Prifysgol Bangor and development of artistic practice with 1:1 tuition from artists Leanda Thomas, Marged Pendrell, Jony Easterby, Anna Lucas and David White. Tutoring augmented by short courses, seminars and lectures at ICA, Tate Modern, Oriel Mostyn, Bangor University, FACT, National Theatre Wales (TEAM and Waleslab), Goldsmiths. Included Duke University’s online course in public education and experimental pedagogy: the Art of the MOOC (passed with distinction), and Experiments in Sound.

1992–2011 Career in conflict resolution and public and stakeholder participation for sustainable development. As a pioneer in the field, I resolved 200+ conflicts, and facilitated partnerships and public participation projects in Wales, UK, Europe and worldwide. I also set up and ran six charities/ social enterprises including Vision 21, InterAct Networks, Involve; Gwynedd Facilitators’ Network, numerous workshops, participation training programmes, research and publications; Commissioner on UK Sustainable Development Commission; Head of Sciencewise, the UK Government programme for public engagement with science.

1991      Degree in psychology (2i), Oxford University.

Gwrthsafiad.jpg

Gwyl Gwrthsafiad, 2020