Wrth Wraidd - At Root

Gwahoddwyd Carreg Creative i gyflwyno 'llinyn celf' gan Gynhadledd Gwir Fwyd a Ffermio Cymru 2024, a gynhaliwyd eleni ym Mhrifysgol Llambed - ymadawiad newydd i Carreg Greadigol, ac i'r gynhadledd.

Ein dull ni - “Wrth Wraidd/At Root” - cyffwrdd ysgafn, gweld beth sy'n tyfu. Y man cychwyn oedd gwrando, cwestiynau a sgyrsiau. Fe wnaethon ni greu man tawel, cyfforddus a chroesawgar yn y cyntedd rhwng mannau cynadledda mwy ffurfiol - gan wneud lle ar gyfer cwestiynau, ystyriaethau, mapio a breuddwydio.

Ar y fwydlen:

Carreg Creative was invited to host an ‘art strand’ to the Wales Real Food and Farming Conference 2024, held this year in Lampeter University: A new departure for both Carreg Creative and for the conference.

Our approach - “Wrth Wraidd/At Root” - was light touch, listening, questioning and conversation, seeing what grows. We created a quiet, comfortable and welcoming space in the foyer, in between more formal conference spaces - making room for questions, considerations, mapping and dreaming.

On the menu:

Pantri o gwestiynau heb eu gofyn/heb eu ateb - Pantry of Unasked/Unanswered Questions

Cornel Distaw - Quiet Corner

Map Gwreiddiau - Roots Map

Powlen i rannu pleserau bychain - Bowl for Sharing Small Joys

Cerrig Gwrando - Listening Stones

Gofynnon ni i bobl ddod â rhywfaint o bridd neu wreiddiau o gartre, yn ogystal ag unrhyw gwestiynau heb eu hateb neu heb eu gofyn o'u profiad yn y gynhadledd. Roedd mynychwyr y gynhadledd yn gallu ymuno â ni ar unrhyw adeg, i ddod â'r hyn oedd ganddynt, ymuno â'r mapio, neu dim ond dod i ymlacio yn y lle (amser allan!).

Ac ymuno â ni wnaethon nhw! Wnaethon ni fwynhau ysgrifennu gyda gwreiddiau (mae'r moron yn offeryn darlunio gwych!), sgwrsio, creu seremoni bridd.

Uchafbwynt arbennig i ni - cysylltu â Cai Wen Qin, Cogydd Academi Sinoleg y Brifysgol (aeth atom - roedd yn chwilio am llysiau organig tymhorol, ar gyfer ei gegin).

We asked people to bring along a small amount of soil or roots from home, as well as any unasked/unanswered questions from their conference experience. Conference goers were able to join us at any time, to bring what they had, join in with the mapping, or just come and relax in the space (time out!).

And join us they did! We enjoyed writing with roots (the carrot turns out to be a wonderful drawing instrument!), sgwrsio, creating a soil ceremony.

A special highlight for us was making connections with Cai Wen Qin, Chef at the University Academy of Sinology (he approached us - he was looking for a source of organic, seasonal veg for his kitchen).

Cwestiynau heb eu gofyn / heb eu hateb

Unasked/unanswered questions

Dyma'r cwestiynau neithwn ni gasglu / Here are the questions we collected:

Ble mae eich gwreiddiau?

How can we become deep rooted (“Deep rooted members of society survived”, said in relation to a community of seeds, but could this relate to humans too?)

Could Sue and I grow for seed?

How do we find a way back to a shared sense of land as a common good?

How do we look after our farmers?

How do we beat ultra-processed food?

How can we regulate supermarkets out of existence? What about fair pricing?

How can I get organic/seasonal veg? [Academy of Sinology]

How can people afford good food?

Why were students next door eating junk food while we had our lovely food?

Sut gallwn ni roi bwyd am ddim I bawb? Fel state provided basic provisions?

Is the statistic “95% of Welsh food is exported” correct? If so, can someone explain the ‘no farmers, no food’ campaign?

Lle dylen ni rhoi ein egni?

Where am I going?

Where does one start?

Do we need vision and strategy and action plans?

Do vision, strategy, action plans really bring about change? Or is more just accepting we are already doing the revolution, and the mainstream will catch up as the mainstream increasingly fails and looks for alternatives?

Sustainability or regeneration?

Why do people get more money to study us than we do to do the work?

What if we just start?

We just need to get out in a field and get on with it… do a bit more, bring some friends. It’s not complicated! We are made for it, soil is made for it

Do what we can, where we are, with what we’ve got

How can we strengthen all of this beauty to create a social movement?

How do we connect from the heart?

How can we communicate as part of an interconnected whole? ---

What happens if we protect one species at the expense of others, or of the balance?

Could we rethink the conference format? Eg use farm hacks?

What if we could have better conversations and imaginary futures?

Beth mae bobl yn eu gael o hwn?

What are people taking from this?

How do you care for the shadow side of a conference?

Be’ wnaeth ddigwydd yn y gweithdy ‘feminine values’?

Failure – envy – lonely in a crowd – disconnection

How do we know what questions are the right root?

Do we see what we are looking for?

How do I digest all this information? I’m full

Cyfrifoldeb pwy yw e? Whose responsibility is it?

Whose point of view?

Do we listen? Do we know how?

Pegynau- Polarities

Sylwasom ar rai ‘polarities’, rhai cwestiynau a syniadau a oedd i’w gweld yn tynnu’r ddwy ffordd, lle nad yw’n ymwneud â dewis pa ddiwedd i’r pegynedd sy’n ‘gywir’ ond sylwi ar y posibiliadau, a lle rydym yn gosod ein hunain rhyngddynt…

We noticed some ‘polarities’, some questions and ideas that seemed to pull both ways, where it is not about chosing which end of the polarity is ‘correct’ but noticing the possibilities, and where we place ourselves between them…