When it came to writing this article, my thought space had been taken to the theme of journeys; the unknown ground between a beginning and an ending. My journey as a young producer for Bloedd’s latest project, an LGBTQIA+ oral histories exhibition, has been a nearly yearlong one. What began as conversation in a shared space containing mutual interests and passions, defined the nucleus of my work here. The beginnings of this time had been an unpacking of what we felt as a collective was important to represent for an upcoming exhibition. We knew from the jump that we wanted to represent voices that may often go unheard; those whose experience may not be recounted upon by the mainstream perception of what it means to live an LGBTQIA+ life. 

Moving away from the typical portrait of queerness being a thrown brick in protest, that while important, we are more than our fight for freedoms; our stories can be found in the everyday, in the places we visit, the jobs we keep, the people we love and share our lives with. The given name of this exhibition, Ours to Tell, came only after we had completed our collection of stories, the self-described journey we undertook over several months of visits and interviews, holding dialogue with well over fifty years of experience. But what is in a name? Ours to Tell is a reclamation. It’s our way of saying “here is a story, told by a firsthand account of the storyteller”. It’s our way of saying “these words are cut from a book hidden away in the attic of my mind. I’ve ventured into the attic, and I’m dusting it off for you.” It’s our way of saying “this is where I come from”. 

While the journey of this project has been underpinned by a great deal of planning and preparation, what you can’t prepare for is what you might uncover in someone else’s story. You commit to the routine of presenting a series of questions, from you to the storyteller, with only a table between you. It comes as a surprise the level of detail, which is excavated by the storyteller, they are like a hoarder being handed a stepladder, invited to dig up their stowed away possessions from the attic. Your questions are prompts: “when did you first see your identity reflected in someone else?”, “what does a safe space look like to you?”, the list goes on. The exciting part is that you don’t know what’s coming next, and you are there, alongside the storyteller, who guides you through a journey which may well bring up a familiarity or nostalgia for the listener. During these times when I’ve had the great pleasure to listen to these stories, I can confidently say that I have felt every kind of emotion in response. I laughed. I have cried. I have been moved. I have been taken on a journey.

Enabling the participants of this project to confidently speak about their experiences has proved an undeniable joy, though I cannot understate how this project has affected those coordinating its launch. Fellow young producer Joss Copeman, like me had been drawn to this exciting opportunity, Copeman’s “personal work is largely centred around queer narratives and themes of identity and the self.” The journey which unfolded from Ours to Tell has been greatly beneficial, as it pertains to young LGBTQIA+ creatives and makers, taking inspiration from unheard voices, now affected and transformed by echoes of their experience. This is a feeling I know will resonate with the audience, and I can only hope it will stir others in future, to share what might be put away, gathering dust in the attic. 

I’d like to conclude with a quote that shook me like a cat in a tree, “Art is not just for oneself, not just a marker of one’s own understanding. It is also a map for those who follow after us.”

Written by Ivy Kelly, Amgueddfa Cymru Producer (Bloedd).

Bloedd is the platform for youth engagement at Amgueddfa Cymru.

'Da ni wrthi'n paratoi ar gyfer y project ailddatblygu yn Amgueddfa Lechi Cymru, sydd ar ddechrau ym mis Tachwedd 2024! Ac eisiau rhoi cyfle i wirfoddolwyr fod yn rhan o'r project drwy helpu ni glanhau, catalogio a phacio'r casgliad o batrymau yn y Llofft Batrwm.

Er mwyn sicrhau bod ein casgliadau diwydiannol pwysig yn cael eu gwarchod tra bod gwaith cadwraeth ac adnewyddu hanfodol yn cael ei wneud i’r Gilfach Ddu, mae’r casgliad yn symud. Wel... rhan ohono! Mae ein Cynorthwywyr Casgliadau a Chatalogio, Mathew ac Osian, eisoes wedi bod yn brysur yn atodi labeli ac yn catalogio eitemau o’r casgliad sydd heb eu cofnodi'n mor fanwl o’r blaen. Byddant yn eu glanhau a'u pacio'n ddiogel gan ddefnyddio papur sidan.

Mae hon yn gyfle gwych i ni fel amgueddfa groesawu gwirfoddolwyr mewn ffyrdd newydd. Hoffwn fanteisio ar y cyfle a rhoi cyfleoedd i bobl leol cael profiadau, datblygu sgiliau a chael gwella eu hiechyd meddwl trwy wirfoddoli.

Swnio'n ddiddorol? Eisiau Cymryd Rhan? Beth am edrych ar ddisgrifiad rôl Gwirfoddolwr Casgliadau sydd ar ein wefan. Bydd modd gwirfoddoli ar ddyddiau Mawrth neu Iau, 10:00-1:00 er gallwn fod yn hyblyg i siwtio trafnidiaeth cyhoeddus. Bydd y project yma'n rhedeg rhwng 24 Medi a 31 Hydref, ond bydd projectau gwahanol gyda'r casgliadau yn cychwyn yn y flwyddyn newydd. Unrhyw gwestiynau? Cysylltwch â Chloe Ward, ein Cydlynydd Gwirfoddoli ac Ymgysylltu ar chloe.ward@amgueddfacymru.ac.uk.

Safbwynt(iau): Dadwladychu Treftadaeth 
Project dadwladychu a gomisiynwyd gan Amgueddfa Cymru mewn partneriaeth â Chyngor Celfyddydau Cymru yw Safbwynt(iau). A minnau'n brif artist yn Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru, rydw i wedi bod yn cydweithio â Ways of Working, corff celfyddydol sy'n gymdeithasol ymwybodol, er mwyn ail-ddychmygu’r amgueddfa yn ofod lle gellid cynnal a datgymalu naratifau grym.

⁠Dadwladychu'r Amgueddfa: Wynebu Gwaddol Cymhleth 
Dechreuwyd ein project trwy ofyn cwestiwn sylfaenol: a all amgueddfa, sefydliad sydd â'i gwreiddiau'n ddwfn yn hanes gwladychu, fyth gael ei ddadwladychu mewn gwirionedd? Yng ngeiriau enwog Audre Lorde, 'Ni fydd offer y meistr fyth yn datgymalu tŷ'r meistr.' Dyma ddangos cymhlethdod dadwladychu a'r angen brys sydd i'r gwaith. Rhaid i ni edrych ar y straeon a adroddir a dirnad straeon pwy ydynt, lleisiau pwy sy'n cael eu clywed a gwaddol pwy sy'n cael eu cydnabod o fewn y gofodau hyn. O fewn sefydliad, gall dadwladychu ddigwydd mewn nifer o ffyrdd – o greu gweladwyedd a chynhwysedd i ddatganoli naratifau sydd wedi cael lle amlwg – a gellir ei wneud mewn ffordd sy'n cadw digon o le i empathi hefyd.

Cafodd y sgyrsiau hanfodol hyn eu cyfoethogi gan fewnbwn yr Athro Corrine Fowler, arbenigwr yng ngwaddol gwladychiaeth a Nusrat Ahmed, Prif Guradur Oriel De Asia yn Amgueddfa Manceinion. Roedd eu harbenigedd yn ein tywys wrth i ni ymrafael â chymhlethdod dadwladychu yn Sain Ffagan.

Creu Gweladwyedd yn Sain Ffagan 
⁠Mae Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru yn adrodd hanes pobl Cymru. Ond wrth i mi gerdded trwy'r neuaddau, nid oeddwn yn gallu gweld olion fy nhreftadaeth innau. ⁠Daeth yr absenoldeb hwn yn rhan ganolog o'n gwaith. Gofynnon ni hyn: pwy sy'n cael eu cynrychioli yma? Straeon pwy sydd yma, a straeon pwy sydd ar goll?

Gwahoddwyd Cydweithfa Trindod Aurora – grŵp llawr gwlad dan arweiniad menywod lliw sy'n creu celf tecstilau a brodwaith - i ymuno â ni er mwyn ffurfio ymateb. Cynhaliodd y grŵp weithdai tecstilau yn neuadd groeso'r Amgueddfa, gan roi llwyfan i'w gwaith Ncheta sy'n archwilio cof, iaith a phwysigrwydd diwylliannol tecstilau.⁠ Trwy eu presenoldeb, roeddem yn adennill gofod a oedd wedi anwybyddu eu cyfraniadau tan nawr.

Dadlennu Gwaddol Gwladychiaeth yng Nghastell Sain Ffagan

Mae llawer o fy ngwaith celf yn deillio o waith ymchwil, ac mae hyn yn aml yn gorgyffwrdd â fy ngwaith academaidd. Wrth ymchwilio, darganfyddais gysylltiad uniongyrchol rhwng Castell Sain Ffagan a Clive o India. Priododd ŵyr Clive, Robert Clive, Harriet Windsor, a daeth y teulu Windsor-Clive yn gyfoethog ar gefn gwladychiaeth. Y cyfoeth hwn dalodd am waith adfer sylweddol yng Nghastell Sain Ffagan, gan selio gwaddol gwladychiaeth ym mêr y muriau.

Er mwyn treiddio'n ddyfnach i'r hanes hwn, gwahoddwyd Bethan Scorey i rannu ei gwaith ymchwil – mae ei phroject doethuriaeth yn canolbwyntio ar hanes gerddi a phensaernïaeth Castell Sain Ffagan. ⁠Gyda'r cyfoeth eang hwn o wybodaeth i'n helpu, aethom ati i ddadlennu'r gwreiddiau gwladychol sy'n parhau i siapio naratif y castell.

Canolbwyntiodd ein hymyriadau creadigol ar y gwaddol hwn, yn enwedig y rheini oedd yn gysylltiedig â Robert Clive, 'Clive o India'. Taflodd y project oleuni ar gysylltiad Cymru ag imperiaelaeth Prydain – cysylltiad sy'n dal i guddio yn yr amlwg ac sy'n aml yn cael ei hepgor.

Ymgysylltu ag Ymwelwyr: Gosodiadau Rhyngweithiol 
Mae ein hymyriad cyntaf mewn lle amlwg yn neuadd groeso'r Amgueddfa, ac rydym yn gwahodd ymwelwyr i ymgysylltu'n uniongyrchol â gwirionedd anghysurus gwladychiaeth. Trwy ofyn cwestiynau fel 'Roedd yr Ymerodraeth Brydeinig yn...?', a 'Beth yw swyddogaeth amgueddfa o fewn cymdeithas?', rydym yn annog y cyhoedd i feddwl am rym, hanes a rôl esblygol amgueddfeydd. Taniodd y gosodiad rhyngweithiol hwn – oedd yn defnyddio nodiadau gludiog fel lle i ymwelwyr rannu eu meddyliau – sgyrsiau ystyrlon ac mae'n sicrhau fod gwladychiaeth yn aros yn eu meddyliau wrth iddyn nhw brofi'r amgueddfa.

⁠Gwaddol Gwladychiaeth yn yr Ystafell Fyw 
Roedd ein hail osodiad yn ail-greu ystafell fyw De Asiaidd Prydeinig, sef atgof personol o fy mhlentyndod yn y 1980au. I lawer o deuluoedd diaspora, roedd yr ystafell fyw yn hafan – yn lle i gymuned ac i ddathlu, ac yn noddfa o atgasedd y byd tu allan. Yn ganolbwynt i'r olygfa gyfarwydd hon, gosodwyd soffa bren euraidd o'r 18fed ganrif o eiddo Clive o India. Cafodd ei gaffael gan Amgueddfa Cymru yn y 1950au, ac mae ei arwyddocâd gwladychol wedi cael ei anwybyddu i raddau helaeth ers degawdau. Trwy roi'r gwrthrych hanesyddol hwn mewn golygfa ddomestig, yng nghanol lluniau teuluol a gwrthrychau personol, rydyn ni wedi hawlio'r naratif yn ôl gan gychwyn sgyrsiau am wladychiaeth, atgof, a sut mae hanes yn cael ei gofio a'i anghofio.

Ail-ddychmygu Palas Breuddwydion Tipu Sultan 
Mae ein trydydd gosodiad, Khawaab Mahal (Palas Breuddwydion) yn ailddychmygu pabell Tipu Sultan a gafodd ei ysbeilio gan fab Clive, Edward Clive, wedi i Tipu gael ei ladd mewn brwydr. ⁠Daeth y babell hardd, sydd nawr yn byw yng Nghastell Powys, yn symbol o ormes Prydain. Byddai'n aml yn cael ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer partion gardd, sy'n sarhad ar ei bwrpas gwreiddiol. Rydym wedi creu ailddehongliad gan ddefnyddio delweddau digidol o'r babell wreiddiol wedi'u hargraffu ar ddefnydd. Mae dyfyniadau o ddyddiadur breuddwydion Tipu hefyd wedi'u hargraffu ar ochr fewn y babell. Roedd ei freuddwydion yn llawn o'i ddymuniad i drechu'r Prydeinwyr, a thrwy'r gosodiad hwn, roeddwn i'n cael sgwrs bersonol yn uniongyrchol ag e. Gwahoddir ymwelwyr i gamu i fyd Tipu, i ganol seinwedd a breuddwydion, gan adennill gofod a ddygwyd trwy drais.

Presenoldeb Absennol: Adennill Gofod trwy Ffilm 
Ffilm benodol i'r safle yw'r pedwerydd gosodiad, Presenoldeb Absennol, gafodd ei ffilmio ar diroedd Castell Sain Ffagan. ⁠⁠Y ddawnswraig Sanea Singh sy'n serennu ac mae'r ffilm yn myfyrio ar orffennol gwladychol y castell. Mae symudiadau llyfn Sanea yn dod yn rhan o bensaernïaeth a gerddi Sain Ffagan, ac mae hi'n adennill y gofod fel gofod iddi hi. Mae'r ffilm yn trafod themâu ysbail, gwrthryfel a straeon De Asia a gafodd eu celu, gan greu cysylltiad rhwng heddiw a ddoe.

Adennill Hanesion ac Ailysgrifennu'r Naratif 
Trwy'r gosodiadau hyn, rydyn ni'n ceisio datgymalu'r naratifau amlycaf o gwmpas Castell Sain Ffagan ac adennill y straeon sydd wedi'u dileu. I mi, ac i grŵp Ways of Working, mae Safbwynt(iau) yn gymaint mwy na phroject – rydym yn hawlio ein hanes yn ôl, yn cynnal sgwrs ar draws canrifoedd ac yn galw am gydnabod gwaddol parhaus gwladychu sy'n dal wrth wraidd ein sefydliadau heddiw. Trwy wynebu'r gwaddol hwn, gallwn ddechrau ailffurfio sut yr ydyn ni'n cofio a phwy sy'n cael adrodd straeon ein hanes ni oll. 
 

I’m currently studying heritage conservation at Cardiff University, so I wanted to undertake his placement as I have a keen interest in how museums digitise their collections for educational purposes and to increase the accessibility of the heritage they safeguard, and I also wanted to explore how museum collections are used for research purposes.

What are diatoms?

Diatoms are microscopic, single-celled algae that inhabit oceans, rivers, and lakes. They are notable for their intricate cell walls made of silica, which resemble delicate glass shells when viewed under a microscope. These cell walls, called frustules, have unique and complex patterns. Diatoms play a vital role in the environment by performing approximately one-fifth of the total global photosynthesis. This process not only produces a significant portion of the Earth's oxygen but diatoms also form an important part of aquatic food webs, supporting a diverse range of marine and freshwater organisms.

Their importance for research lies in their ability to act as bio-indicators in aquatic ecosystems. Analysis of diatom populations and diversity studies have been used to evaluate human impact on freshwater and marine environments. As bio-indicators, diatoms can be used to assess the levels of organic pollution, eutrophication and acidification of their aquatic environment. Different species have differing tolerance levels of environmental conditions like water pH (the acidity or alkalinity of the water) and nutrient concentrations. Several diatom indices have been developed and are used by the Environment Agency to monitor water quality in UK rivers and lakes.

Analysis of diatom populations can also be used to demonstrate trends over time, as Ingrid’s work on the restoration of water quality of the rivers Wye and Irfon through periodic liming shows (for more details visit https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X20309961#ab010). The same case can be made for historical collections stored in museums, which can provide unique insight into historical diatom populations, and which can be used to infer previous environmental conditions and compare them to those found in contemporary studies.

In addition to their environmental and research importance, diatoms are incredibly beautiful. So much so, that during the Victorian period, they were often assembled into decorative arrangements on microscope slides. For the uninitiated, I would highly recommend searching for images of Johann Diedrich Möller’s work as well as the more contemporary works of Klaus Kemp; they are truly astounding arrangements. 

The Placement

Under Dr. Ingrid Juttner’s excellent guidance I learned basic diatom morphology and how to identify Gomphonema species, which typically display asymmetry along the trans-apical axis (i.e. the top and bottom halves are not usually mirror images of each other).

Ingrid took me through the process of diatom analysis in light microscopy, from “cooking” the water samples with hydrogen peroxide to remove organic cell content and preparing the microscope slides, through to photographing, editing and uploading the images to the museum’s diatom website. The photographs featured were taken with a light microscope at x1000 magnification, and measurements (length, width, striae density) were recorded. These images were then edited and prepared as plates to provide an overview of the cell size distribution in the species population. The plates were uploaded to the website with corresponding literature and morphological descriptions. 

Some notable species I photographed which are now featured on the website are Eunotia arcubus, Eunotia botuliformis and Planothidium incuriatum.

Overall, my placement within the Lower Plants section has

• Provided me with invaluable insights into scientific and particularly, taxonomic, practices
• Highlighted the role that diatoms play in our natural environments
• Demonstrated how museum collections can and are being utilised for the benefit of science as well as being important repositories for mapping changes in biodiversity.
• Illustrated how projects like the Diatom Flora and Fauna of Britain and Ireland can help create accessible resources for professional and amateur researchers as well as opening up collections to a wider public, who might otherwise be unaware of their existence.
• Finally, this placement has been an opportunity to admire the exceptional beauty of diatoms.

If you would like to know more about the diatom collection at the National Museum of Wales, please see the museum’s Diatom Research page  as well as  blog posts by Ingrid entitled ‘Scientific expedition to Rara Lake, Nepal’ and ‘Diatom diversity of the Falklands Islands’. I would also highly encourage anyone interested in diatom identification to view the Diatom Flora and Fauna of Britain and Ireland website.

My heartfelt thanks go out to Dr. Ingrid Jüttner for her instruction, her wealth of knowledge and, not least, her conversation. I would equally like to thank the various staff members who coordinated and supported this placement at Amgueddfa Cymru, may there be many more such opportunities.