LLIF/FLOW
Introduction
Constructal/Llif started out in 2015 as a response to Gwyl Afon Ogwen River Festival, in collaboration with Lisa Hudson. A development of our childhood fascination with constructing marble runs out of found objects, we developed "Cwrs Carlam Mewn Cyfraith Constructal", "A Crash Course in Constructal Law": Two giant outdoor marble run experiments - covering about 100ft - constructed from from branches, slate, bark and things we've found around the river (tubes, cans etc). Complete with resident scientist (me) and technician (Lisa), and little cigarette card-sized summaries of the various 'laws' we were exploring, the experiment proved a huge success, engaging people of all ages, including an impromptu performance by Rhys Trimble and the Marmaladies (Sioned Eleri Roberts and Katherine Betteridge).
Since then, Lisa and I have been futher exploring the potential of marble runs as an artistic medium, using the creative (and compulsive) nature of construction and play to generate collaborative inquiry, reflection and connection at a deeper level. We have so much further to go in understanding the full potential of marble runs, but we know so far that they are:
- site specific, made using and in response to the site. We often use found and donated materials found within the ‘catchment’ of the site, encouraging exploration of the past and present of the site, the activities, culture, materials, sounds and landscape
- collaborative, created with people with ‘ways of knowing’: different skills, backgrounds and interests, in the research, construction and'performing' (show") stages of the project. Our regular collaborators include: Dr Jonathan Malarkey (oceanographer), Rhys Trimble (poet), Katherine Betteridge (musician), Sioned Eleri Roberts (musician), David Hopewell (sound) and Iolo Price (marble maker).
- participation centred, designed to create an immersive, multi-sensory experience that goes far beyond ‘look and watch’ to engage participants in creative explorations. Participants - of all ages and backgrounds - at the heart of the show
- evolving and unpredictable, affected by interactions, changes in the environment, the unpredictable behaviour of marbles and materials, and encouraging playful reflection on unintended consequences and the nature of success and failure
- multi purpose, each run able to adapt to different purposes frominstallation in an art gallery context to landscape scale interpretation, from music making to scientific experiment to drawing machines.
You can read Lisa's Marblism Manifesto here.
Read some thoughts about art/science here
COMING IN 2024 - LLIF/FLOW ORIEL BRONDANW
Llif/Flow Plas Brondanw will be a large scale marble run event open to the public, in the house, formal gardens and woods at Plas Brondanw in June 2024. The marble run will be site specific, creating a journey from wild to formal in the grounds of Plas Brondanw, taking inspiration from Clough Williams-Ellis’ playful architectural style and Susan Williams-Ellis’ illustrations. In particular, the marble run will travel through a series of artist and community-made ‘triumphal arches’, inspired by a quote from when Clough Williams-Ellis first moved into Plas Brondanw:
“One begins staidly with a new kitchen range and a bathroom... and yet, in a little while, one finds oneself building triumphal arches”
Why?
We want to create a playful, celebratory event that encourages innovation and connection, bringing local people to Plas Brondanw, breaking down the barriers between ‘the house’ and the community. We want to engage with the sense of creative investigation and curiosity shared by Clough and Susan Williams-Ellis, and to experiment with the Marblism methodology and its potential as a metaphor for community cooperation and a functioning environmental, societal system.
How?
We will create the ‘triumphal arches’ and different elements of the marble run through a programme of workshops in Llanfrothen, Croesor, Porthmadog, Tremadoc and Penrhyndeudraeth. These workshops, suitable for all ages, will have exclusive access to some of Susan Williams-Ellis’ designs, and will encourage participants to consider who/what might a ‘triumphal arch’ be to, questioning what is a triumph (eg celebrating diversity, tenacity, connection, time, construction, design, creativity, structure, shape and form, materials etc), and what would it mean to become vulnerable to flow. We will also issue an open call for artists to take part.
When? The workshops and community engagement will take place in Spring 2024, drawing people together and creating elements for the marble run which will take place on 23 June 2024.
Contact us if you’d like to have a workshop with your group or to take part or support our project in any way (all sponsors will be acknowledged on publicity and documentation)
past projects (in reverse chronological order)
llinellau llif - flow forms @ plas bodfa, anglesey. 2020.
Using the rolling of marbles, ink and performance to map the temporality, universality and complexity of flow as a fundamental force within and around Plas Bodfa. Installation and performance with Lisa Hudson, Katherine Betteridge, Rhys Trimble and Sioned Eleric Roberts, as an online online collaboration in the midst of the Coronavirus. See here for images, videos and works for sale
Llinellau Llif Plas Bodfa Flow forms - mapping
Llif: Labordy Môn (Flow: Anglesey laboratory) @ M-Sparc Science Park, Gaerwen, Anglesey. 2018
A six month installation for the opening of this new science park, together with an opening event with a create your on marble run laboratory.
Timelapse of the flow of setting up
Timelapse of the day of the show
Llif @ Pontio, September 2017 - January 2018
Installation and video on lefel 2.
Llif @ Troelli, yr 'Steddfod, Bodedern, Ynys Mon. 5 - 13 August 2017
Our piece for Troelli, the special exhibition at Lle Celf, was curated by Manon Awst as part of the National Eisteddfod. We worked with oceanographer, Dr Jonathan Malarkey to create a 3-D installation exploring flow around the shores of Anglesey, as well as flow in adits in Mynydd Parys with advice from Dave Johnston and Professor Paul Younger. Llif: Labordy Môn was again an interactive piece, but slow, considered and self contained, with a focus on the emotive, visual and sonic qualities of materials. Thousands of people interacted with the tower over the 10 day installation, and invigilators described the piece as the most popular in the show. There were ripples cast in plaster and copper mesh, long adit runs and specially made Parys marbles by Iolo Price. We put on a performance lecture on 10th August 1 - 3pm, with Rhys Trimble, Cai Ladd, Katherine Betteridge and Sioned Eleri Roberts. See The Strange Case of Afon Goch y Gogledd for the story of the research we did with Mynydd Parys.
Here's my video that played alongside the installation.
Here are some links to articles and films about the show at y 'Steddfod:
BBC film, featuring our "Llif: Labordy Môn" tower installation at Lle Celf
The Train Line Dot Com @ TOGYG, September 2016.
Train track-inspired marble run (location, materials, sounds) - as visiting artist at the The Old Goods Yard open studios in Bangor. In this installation, Lisa and I wanted to provide the opportunity for participants to add on their own lines to the network, and and to try their hand on the marble run drawing machines inside Lisa's studio.
Gwyl Afon Ogwen River Festival @ Bethesda, October 2016.
We went back to our roots over the first weekend of October, to create a giant marble run of the Afon Ogwen River Catchment... This one was built on the day, despite the pouring rain, by those that turned up, utilising our 'builders yard' of found materials.
Here's a lovely blog about it - 'long live marblism' by Jo Hinchcliffe.
LLif/Flow @ Pontio, 2016
Llif/Flow was held at Pontio, Bangor's huge new arts/innovation centre on 3rd July 2016, one of the two winning teams for Pontio's Synthesis project, supporting innovative collaborations between artists and scientists. Lisa Hudson and I spent 3 months working with Dr Jonathan Malarkey from the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University, and Katherine Betteridge, Rhys Trimble, Dave Hopewell and Sioned Eleri Roberts to develop an immersive marble run experience, involving interactive marble runs inside and outside the building, experimental music, performance and video. Between 2 and 6pm on 3rd July, we shared our 'work in progress', with performances at 2.30 and 4.30pm. We had around 500 participants, many of whom stayed for 4 hours.
Here's a video of the afternoon, including sounds from the performances:
If you'd like to see more , you can see photos of our show and the R&D here, or have a look at my blog on the project if you'd like to see how it developed.
Lessons From the Lab, Llif Flow Day 1
Busy in the Barn Llif Flow Day 2
More Sound Please! Llif Flow Gets Musical
And here are blogs about the show itself:
Llif Flow Y Sioe: The Show. Part 1 (The slopes)
Llif Flow Y Sioe: The Show. Part 2 (Perfformiadau - Performances)
Photos from Llif/Flow R&D, with Lisa Hudson, Dr Jonathan Malarkey, Rhys Trimble, Katherine Betteridge, David Hopewell and Sioned Eleri Roberts
Cynnydd Sheela (Sheela's Progress) , Artfield, March - September 2016 Caem, Ynys mon (Anglesey)
Made in collaboration with Lisa Hudson, this outdoor interactive marble run is suitable for all ages, and made in response to the Celtic, Romano-British and industrial archaeology in Caim, Anglesey. Artfield also includes works by many other local artists, and there are often wood-working workshops on at the same time. As the show was on for so long, the pieces and site evolved together: Cynydd Sheela became hidden in the foliage, looking like a site of industrial archaology.
Dr BethPeris' Marbleous Medicines, Betws-y-Coed, December 2015.
An installation as part of Theatr-Dan-Y-Coed's Christmas show, this marble run made medieval predictions 'to cure all ills', based on the outcome of your marble.
Cwrs Carlam Mewn Cyfraith Constructal, Bethesda, October 2015
"Cwrs Carlam Mewn Cyfraith Constructal", "A Crash Course in Constructal Law" was our first marble-run installation. Two giant outdoor marble run experiments - covering about 100ft - constructed from from branches, slate, bark and things we've found around the river (tubes, cans etc). Complete with resident scientist (me) and technician (Lisa), and little cigarette card-sized summaries of the various 'laws' we were exploring, the experiment proved a huge success, engaging people of all ages, including an impromptu performance by Rhys Trimble and the Marmaladies.
Marble run drawing machines.
We have started using live marble drawings as part of our performances, with Sioned Eleri Roberts and Katherine Betteridge playing the drawings as musical scores.
Here is a stop motion of a slate marble run drawing machine in action, together with some sounds from the runs.
Lead Creative Schools
We have also been using marble run construction as part of the Lead Creative Schools scheme, exploring patterns in nature (The Pattern Detectives), building skills such as persistence, collaboration, maths and engineering.
