: Cyffredinol

Mark Etheridge ar Hanes ac Actifaeth LGBTQ+

Mark Etheridge, 27 Chwefror 2025

Mark Etheridge, Prif Guradur Datblygu Casgliadau: LHDTQ+
© Amgueddfa Cymru

Mae’n Fis Hanes LHDTQ+ a’r thema eleni yw Ymgyrchedd a Newid Cymdeithasol. Wedi’i sefydlu gan Schools Out yn 2025, mae Mis Hanes LHDTQ+ yn ofod penodol, neilltuedig i ddathlu hanes amrywiol a chyfoethog ein cymunedau LHDTQ+.

I nodi’r achlysur, buom yn cyfweld â’n prif guradur casgliadau LHDTQ+ yn Amgueddfa Cymru i archwilio’r eitemau yn ein casgliadau sy’n cofnodi’r adegau allweddol hyn yn hanes ymgyrchedd LHDTQ+ Cymru.

Helô Mark, a hoffech chi gyflwyno eich hun a dweud mwy wrthym am eich rôl yn Amgueddfa Cymru?

Hoffwn. Mark Etheridge ydw i. Fi yw Prif Guradur Datblygu Casgliadau: LHDTQ+ yn Amgueddfa Cymru, yn gweithio o Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru.

Dechreuais y rôl hon wrth ddatblygu’r casgliad LHDTQ+ yn ôl yn 2019, ar adeg pan oedd nifer fach iawn o wrthrychau y gellid eu nodi fel rhai LHDTQ+. Roedd y gwrthrychau hyn yn ymwneud yn bennaf â ffigyrau hanesyddol, digwyddiadau Pride Cymru, ac Adran 28, ond nid oeddent ar unrhyw gyfrif yn cynrychioli croestoriad y gymuned LHDTQ+ gyfan ledled Cymru, yn y gorffennol ac mewn profiadau cyfoes ill dau.

Rwyf wedi gweithio gydag amrywiaeth o grwpiau cymunedol ac unigolion dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf i adeiladu casgliad sy’n llawer mwy cynrychioliadol ac mae gennym bellach gasgliad o dros 2,200 o eitemau wedi’u nodi fel rhai LHDTQ+.

Baner brotest a wnaed gan CYLCH mewn gwrthdystiad yn erbyn Adran 28. 
© Amgueddfa Cymru

Mae’n Fis Hanes LHDTQ+ a’r thema ar gyfer eleni yw Ymgyrchedd a Newid Cymdeithasol. Gyda’ch gwybodaeth am hanes LHDTQ+ yng Nghymru ac o’ch profiad eich hun, pa newidiadau ydych chi wedi’u gweld?

Mae thema eleni yn cyd-fynd yn dda â’n casgliadau a’n cas arddangos LHDTQ+ newydd, Cymru... Balchder, yn Sain Ffagan, sef yr arddangosfa barhaol gyntaf o hanes LHDTQ+ yn Amgueddfa Cymru. Mae’r arddangosfa’n dangos sut mae hawliau cyfartal wedi newid dros y 50-60 mlynedd diwethaf a sut y maen nhw’n esblygu ac yn newid heddiw. Rydyn ni wedi gweld – a dyma beth mae’r cas newydd yn ei esbonio – pethau fel dad-droseddoli cyfunrhywiaeth yn rhannol ym 1967, ffurfio grwpiau fel Ffrynt er Rhyddid Pobl Hoyw Caerdydd yn y 1970au cynnar, protestiadau yn erbyn Adran 28 ar ddiwedd y 1980au a’r 90au, hyd at rai o’r protestiadau hawliau traws mwyaf diweddar yn erbyn pethau fel therapi trosi, sydd wedi bod yn digwydd yng Nghaerdydd a ledled Cymru yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf.

Y meysydd rwyf wedi bod yn casglu eitemau ynglŷn â nhw dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf yw’r newidiadau yn 2021 i’r gwaharddiad ar ganiatáu i ddynion hoyw a deurywiol roi gwaed, ynghyd â bil yr Eglwys yng Nghymru a oedd yn caniatáu bendithio priodasau rhwng pobl o’r un rhyw a phartneriaethau sifil o fis Medi 2021.

Felly, dwi’n credu bod y protestiadau a gweithredu presennol ynghylch gwelliannau i hawliau cyfartal yn dangos bod y frwydr yn dal i fynd rhagddi heddiw ac na ddaeth i ben ym 1967.

Adroddiad yn ymwneud â Bil yr Eglwys yng Nghymru, a basiwyd ym mis Medi 2021.
© Amgueddfa Cymru

A fyddech chi’n gallu dweud mwy wrthym am yr eitemau sy’n cael eu harddangos yn Sain Ffagan sy’n ymwneud â’r adegau hynny yn hanes ymgyrchwyr LHDTQ+?

Un o’r eitemau yn y ces yw bil yr Eglwys yng Nghymru. Mi wnes i gasglu nifer o eitemau ynghylch ei gyfreithlondeb, ynghyd ag araith mewn llawysgrifen gan Esgob Llandaf, a siaradodd o’i blaid. I gyd-fynd â’r eitemau hyn ac i ddod ag elfen bersonol i’r foment hanesyddol hon, fe gesglais drefn gwasanaeth ar gyfer dau ddyn hoyw y bendithiwyd eu priodas yn dilyn y bil.

Gyda llawer o’r casglu rwy’n ei wneud, nid yw’n ymwneud â’r ffeithiau ynghylch y newidiadau mewn hawliau cyfartal yn unig, mae’n ymwneud â sut mae’n effeithio ar y gymuned LHDTQ+ a’r straeon personol o’u cwmpas.

Mae’n arbennig iawn ein bod ni’n gallu clywed am y profiadau personol y tu ôl i’r digwyddiadau hanesyddol hyn. A allech ddweud ychydig wrthym am sut yr ydych yn mynd ati i gaffael y darnau hyn, yn enwedig pan fyddant yn eitemau personol?

Placard 'Raid Gwahard Therapi Trosi'. Defnyddiwyd mewn protest, a drefnwyd gan Trans Aid Cymru, yn erbyn therapi trosi, 26 Ebrill 2022.
© Amgueddfa Cymru

Weithiau mae’n fater o estyn allan at bobl trwy’r cyfryngau cymdeithasol neu rydych chi’n digwydd cwrdd â rhywun sy’n cynnig rhoi eitem i’n casgliadau.

Rhan ohono hefyd yw gweithio gyda rhai sefydliadau. Mae Trans Aid Cymru wedi bod yn gefnogol iawn o’m gwaith ac wedi fy helpu i gasglu placardiau a ddefnyddiwyd mewn amrywiol brotestiadau hawliau traws a gynhaliwyd ganddynt yng Nghymru.

Mae’n bwysig ein bod yn meithrin cysylltiadau ag aelodau o’r gymuned LHDTQ+, boed hynny’n unigol neu fel grwpiau cymorth, a’n bod yn darparu man diogel i’r casgliad ac i straeon gael eu hadrodd.

Yn ogystal â Trans Aid Cymru, ydych chi wedi gweithio gydag elusennau a grwpiau LHDTQ+ eraill? A pha rai ydych chi’n credu sydd angen mwy o sylw?

Rydw i wedi gweithio gyda rhai grwpiau fel Glitter Cymru a Pride Cymru ond hefyd wedi gweithio gyda’r grwpiau Pride llai.

Baner a wnaed gan Glitter Cymru, a ddefnyddiwyd yn Pride BAME Cymreig cyntaf a gynhaliwyd ym mis Awst 2019.
© Amgueddfa Cymru

Mae yna rai ohonyn nhw y bues i’n estyn allan atyn nhw yn ddiweddar ac sydd wedi bod yn gefnogol wrth roi gwrthrychau i’n casgliadau, fel Pride Merthyr Tudful, Pride Caerffili a Pride y Fflint.

Rwy’n meddwl bod pob un o’r rhai yr wyf wedi sôn amdanynt yn bwysig i’w cefnogi, gan fod y digwyddiadau Pride llai yn y cymunedau lleol yn hanfodol i ganiatáu i bobl fynychu Pride wrth gynrychioli’r gymuned LHDTQ+ ar yr un pryd a chaniatáu iddi gael ei gweld mewn cymunedau llai.

Mae’n ymwneud â gwelededd. Roedd Glitter Cymru yn gefnogol iawn pan ddechreuais yn y rôl hon gyntaf yn 2019, ac maent yn diwallu angen penodol iawn yng Nghymru o ran cefnogi pobl mwyafrif byd-eang sy’n LHDTQ+. Mae yna lawer o wahanol elusennau a llawer o wahanol grwpiau, i gyd yn cefnogi llawer o wahanol feysydd a chyda’u gwerth eu hunain.

Arwydd o dafarn King's Cross, 25 Stryd Caroline, Caerdydd, 1990au.
© Amgueddfa Cymru

Os ystyriwn yr arddangosfa newydd yn Sain Ffagan a’n casgliad ehangach o eitemau LHDTQ+, pa ddarn fyddech chi’n ei ddweud sy’n golygu fwyaf i chi?

Mae’n un eithaf personol. Mae gennym arwydd o dafarn o’r enw’r King’s Cross yng Nghaerdydd, a dyna oedd un o’r tafarndai hoyw cyntaf i mi fynd i mewn iddi ar ôl i mi ddod allan. Roedd yn gyrchfan i bobl hoyw o’r 70au cynnar hyd at pan gaeodd yn 2011.

Mae gen i’r cysylltiad personol hwnnw yno ac rwy’n meddwl bod ein casgliadau yn bwysig o’r safbwynt hwnnw. Rydych am i bobl uniaethu â nhw am ba bynnag reswm, boed hynny er mwyn eu hannog i ymgyrchu’n fwy, neu i’w galluogi i gysylltu ag eitem ar lefel bersonol lle mae’n dod ag atgofion penodol yn ôl.

Rydym am i gasgliadau’r amgueddfa alluogi pobl i wneud y cysylltiadau hynny.

Reg a George yn cael picnic gyda'u ci. Cyfarfu'r ddau ym 1949 a buont gyda'i gilydd am dros 60 mlynedd.
© Mike Parker/Amgueddfa Cymru

Yn hollol, a chan fynd yn ôl at ymgyrchedd a newid cymdeithasol, nid oes angen iddi fod yn brotest o reidrwydd. Ar adegau, dim ond mater o fodolaeth yw hi.

Ie, yn union, ac rwy’n meddwl bod hynny’n rhywbeth y soniais amdano’n ddiweddar mewn sgwrs am ein casgliad ar Reg Mickisch a George Walton o On the Red Hill. Rwy’n meddwl eu bod yn enghraifft o hynny, ganeu bod yn byw eu bywyd bob dydd gyda’i gilydd ar adeg pan oedd yn anghyfreithlon.

Nid protestio yn unig yw actifiaeth, mae bodoli fel person LHDTQ+, yn enwedig ar adegau pan oedd yn anghyfreithlon neu’n dabŵ, yn fath o actifiaeth ynddo’i hun.

Mae hynny’n rhywbeth rwy’n eithaf awyddus i’r arddangosfeydd eu dangos – nad yw’n ymwneud yn unig â gweithredu o ran protestio a balchder, ond bod llawer o straeon am bobl LHDTQ+ yn byw eu bywydau bob dydd yng Nghymru, a dyna’i gyd.

Yn ogystal â’r cas arddangos LHDTQ+ newydd yn Sain Ffagan, beth hoffech chi ei gyflawni nesaf?

Rydyn ni’n dal i gasglu hanes LHDTQ+, ac rydyn ni’n arbennig eisiau mwy o eitemau yn ymwneud â gweithredu cynnar a straeon cynnar am bobl LHDTQ+ sy’n byw yng Nghymru.

Mae gennym ni’r cas newydd yn Sain Ffagan a phethau – dyweder – cysylltiedig â LHDTQ+ yn yr adran gelf yn Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd, ond mae gennym ni lai ar rai o’n safleoedd eraill.

Felly rwy’n meddwl mai’r cam nesaf yw dechrau defnyddio’r casgliad i greu mwy o arddangosfeydd a’i blethu i stori pob safle a phopeth a wnawn.

Ein arddangosfa LGBTQ+ newydd Cymru… Balchder yn Sain Ffagan
© Amgueddfa Cymru

Sut byddech chi’n cymharu hanes gweithredu a newid cymdeithasol LHDTQ+ â grwpiau o ymgyrchwyr heddiw a’r dirwedd wleidyddol?

Mae’r frwydr dros hawliau cyfartal yn dal yn mynd rhagddi mewn llawer o ffyrdd. Y pryder i rai pobl yw y gall yr hawliau a roddwyd gael eu tynnu oddi arnynt. Gellir eu tynnu’n ôl yr un mor hawdd ag y gallant symud ymlaen. Gallwn ni ddim cymryd rhai pethau yn ganiataol, ac mae’n rhaid i ni gofio hynny.

Wyddoch chi, mae hyn yn amlwg mewn pethau fel dileu cyfunrhywiaeth fel trosedd ym 1967. Roedd ond yn ddad-droseddoli rhannol o dan amgylchiadau penodol iawn.

Fel gyda bil yr Eglwys yng Nghymru, fe aethon nhw un cam i ganiatáu i briodasau rhwng pobl o’r un rhyw gael eu bendithio yn yr Eglwys yng Nghymru ond wnaethon nhw ddim mynd y cam ymhellach i ganiatáu iddynt briodi.

Pethau bach felly ydyn nhw, lle gallan nhw fod yn un cam ymlaen, ond dydyn nhw ddim o reidrwydd yn mynd yr holl ffordd.

Diolch, Mark, am gymryd yr amser i drafod ein casgliadau LHDTQ+ mewn perthynas â gweithredu a newid cymdeithasol. Rwy’n llawn cyffro o weld y casgliad yn tyfu ac iddo ddod yn nodwedd barhaol yn stori ein hamgueddfeydd.

© Amgueddfa Cymru

Nawr, hoffem orffen trwy ofyn beth yw eich hoff eitem yn ein casgliadau y tu allan i’ch gwaith?

Cymerwyd y negatif plât gwydr hwn gan Mary Dillwyn ym 1854 neu 1855. Mary yw un o’r ffotograffwyr benywaidd cyntaf yng Nghymru ac mae’r negatif hwn o gasgliad mawr yn Amgueddfa Cymru a gymerwyd gan aelodau o deulu Dillwyn Llewelyn. Rwyf wrth fy modd bod y ddelwedd hon yn dal yr hyn mae'n debyg yw'r ffotograff cyntaf a dynnwyd o ddyn eira yng Nghymru; gyda'r casgliad hefyd yn cynnwys llawer o rai cyntaf yng Nghymru megis y ffotograff cyntaf o noson tân gwyllt.

Gallwch archwilio mwy o’n casgliadau LGBTQ+ ar-lein, ymweld â’n harddangos LGBTQ+ newydd Cymru... Balchder yn Sain Ffagan, neu ddarganfod ein casgliad 'Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners' yn ein harddangosfa Streic! 84-85 Streic! yn Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd, agor tan 27 Ebrill 2025.

LGBTQIA+ History Month

Georgia Day, 5 Chwefror 2025

1 Corinthians 12 introduces its readers to the lasting image of the fledging church as a physical body – each part with different but important roles to fulfil. This metaphor has endured for centuries, and is a challenging one for many Christians today, who struggle with things like hard denominational boundaries and tribal us/them attitudes. For Fr. Ruth, a queer priest in the Church in Wales (CiW), it has a similarly challenging but uplifting message. 

Ruth is a curate (trainee vicar) in the Islwyn Ministry Area in the Diocese of Monmouth, and she’s part of a team that looks after twelve different churches up and down the Gwent Valleys. She’s also bisexual, gender-non-conforming, and in a civil partnership with her spouse, Hannah. In addition to her ministry in the CiW, Ruth is one of four Pastoral Leaders of an ecumenical LGBTQ+ church in Cardiff called The Gathering. 

If that surprises you, that’s okay. But, despite what you may have been taught, queer people have always been a part of the life of the church. We have always been vicars, ministers, deacons, worship leaders, caretakers, congregants, youth group leaders. We are a part of the heritage and life of the church in a way that has, for too long, been overlooked and brushed aside.

The Anglican Church, in particular the Church of England, is undergoing a real reckoning at the moment over the issue of blessing same-sex marriages. The CiW has already had this conversation, and voted in 2021 to bless the marriages of same-sex couples. Whilst, for many, this does not go far enough, it is generally seen as a good first step, and it sets a precedent for other Anglican churches also having this discussion. It also puts those campaigning for marriage equality in a really good position for the Church in Wales to formally allow the sacramental celebration of marriage (hopefully) soon. The current position is bittersweet for many, though. As Fr. Ruth explained to me: “When the current legislation passed, that was a huge change for the Church in Wales. But I felt quite conflicted about it. In part, I am delighted that we can offer something to people for whom the church have been offering nothing. But, in part, it feels like a half-hearted step, where, what you're saying is ‘we're going to recognise that these relationships are good and holy and that God can bless them, but we're not willing to offer you the sacrament of marriage’. It feels theologically incomplete. And it's hurtful, as a queer person in a relationship, to know that the sacrament of marriage is withheld from us.”

It is still a huge deal, though, especially when you consider the length of Christian history that we were completely excluded from the public life of the church. We were still there, though, in closets and in the background, and I like to find queerness reflected in artwork throughout Christian history. It’s forever fascinating to me the ways in which artists, for hundreds of years, have been interpreting biblical stories in ways that we, as audience members and critics, can see the homoerotic. In this artwork, we can see ourselves reflected; here, in the shadow of gender transgression, there, in the hint towards homoeroticism. Indeed, for many artists throughout history, the only acceptable outlet for them to express their homoerotic desires was to displace them through artistic interpretations of ‘safe’ stories and figures – biblical scenes and characters. For example, artwork depicting the martyrdom of St. Sebastian is almost always homoerotic – after all, an attractive young man, mostly naked, is often depicted as being penetrated by arrows.

For Ruth, the ways in which she honours her place in the Church, and where she sees herself in the heritage of the church, is through the practise of the Eucharist. A useful image for her in thinking about the Eucharist is that of a human heart. “During the Eucharist, the church is like the chambers of the heart. It draws in that which needs nourishment. In the movement of the Eucharist, the nourishment is received, like blood going out to the lungs and coming back again, and then it's sent back out into the rest of its community.” So, when Jesus says, at the Last Supper, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19, NRSV), and we partake in this remembrance, we become a part of something bigger than us – an invisible string that stretches back centuries, connecting everyone across the world that’s ever remembered Jesus’ life in this way, like branches of a nervous system spanning time and space and holding us together. In this act of remembrance, “in becoming the body of Christ, all of the boundaries get blurry. So we become parts of a whole. That requires all of our differences.” It requires our differences in sexuality and gender identity, and how we interact with the world around us as embodied creatures. “As someone who the church historically would have said ‘we have no need of you’, I find it really, really heartening that those who still wish queer folks weren’t in ministry can't say ‘we have no need of you’. Because here we stand within the sacramental honours of the life of the church. You cannot say to me: I have no need of you. The challenging side is, I can't say to them I have no need of them either. We are brought together in that wholeness. And that wholeness is of God and so it's not up to us to say we have no need of one another.”

In a world full of divisive individualism, rituals like a Eucharist serve as an important reminder that we are a part of a much, much larger whole. The human body is an ecosystem of multitudinous grace, apathy, compassion and anger – never just one thing, always many interlinking feelings and experiences and beliefs. And, if a single human body is an ecosystem, how vast must the ecosystems of our societies be? Another word for Eucharist is Communion. This is the term that I grew up with in my faith tradition, and it holds both a special and fraught place in my heart because of it. The obvious reason behind it being called Communion is that it is through this ritual that we commune with God – we honour Jesus’ life and death, and are in communion with something greater than ourselves. But, through the connections and interconnections of this action, are we not also in communion with one another? Are we not then, in spite of all the things that separate us, one body? 

 ‘Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. […] If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” […] If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.’ (1 Cor. 12:12-26, NRSV). 

Diwrnod AIDS y Byd 1 Rhagfyr

Mark Etheridge, 27 Tachwedd 2024

Ar 1 Rhagfyr 1994 plannwyd coeden yng Ngerddi'r Orsedd ger Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd. 

Plannwyd y goeden ar Ddiwrnod AIDS y Byd 1994 ⁠er cof am bawb sydd wedi marw o AIDS yng Nghymru. Ers ei phlannu mae wedi cael sawl enw gwahanol, gan gynnwys Coeden y Bywyd a Choeden y Rhuban Coch, a dod yn ganolbwynt i ddigwyddiadau cofio Diwrnod AIDS y Byd ar 1 Rhagfyr bob blwyddyn pan fydd pobl yn clymu rhuban coch i'r goeden.

Plannwyd y goeden gan Mike Phillips a Martin Nowaczek (cyd-sylfaenwyr Cardiff Body Positive), ar y cyd ag Arglwydd Faer ac Arglwydd Faeres Caerdydd. Gollyngwyd balŵn hefyd er cof am bawb sydd wedi marw o AIDS yng Nghymru. Erbyn diwedd 1994 roedd 10,304 achos o AIDS wedi ei gofnodi a 7,019 marwolaeth hysbys yn y DU (roedd 141 or achosion a 118 o'r marwolaethau yng Nghymru).

Wrth siarad am y project, mae Mike yn cofio ⁠"Roeddwn i tua 25 oed pan blannon ni Goeden y Rhuban Coch. ⁠Roedden ni wedi agor canolfan Body Positive Caerdydd y diwrnod cynt, ac roedd Martin yn sâl ac wedi blino. ⁠Bu farw lai na 6 mis yn ddiweddarach."

Cafodd y plac wrth y goeden ei ailgyflwyno yn 2021, a rhoddwyd y plac gwreiddiol i Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru. ⁠Cafodd ei arddangos yn Sain Ffagan yn 2022/23 fel rhan o arddangosfa Cymru... cofio Terrence Higgins.

Yn ddiweddar cafodd casgliad Body Positive Caerdydd ei roi i Amgueddfa Cymru, ac mae cyswllt agos rhyngddo â'r goeden a blannwyd gan y sylfaenwyr, Mike a Martin, yn 1994.

Sefydlwyd Body Positive Caerdydd yn 1993, yn 57 Heol y Santes Fair. Roedd yn cefnogi pobl yn byw gyda HIV ac AIDS ar draws Caerdydd a de Cymru, ac yn un o nifer o grwpiau Body Positive ledled y DU. Agorodd y ganolfan alw ddiwrnod cyn plannu Coeden y Bywyd, ac yn ddiweddarach dyma nhw'n trefnu 'Dathliad o Fywyd' wrth y goeden i gofio'r bywydau a gollwyd i AIDS ac i ddangos eu cefnogaeth i bobl sy'n byw gyda HIV/AIDS neu wedi'u heffeithio ganddo. ⁠Mae cylchlythyrau Body Positive Caerdydd yn y casgliad yn cynnwys ysgrifau coffa ar gyfer pobl wnaeth farw o ganlyniad i AIDS yng Nghymru, can gynnwys y sylfaenydd Martin.

Roedd llinell gymorth AIDS Caerdydd hefyd yn bodoli ar y pryd, a rhwydwaith AIDS De Morgannwg. Llinell Gymorth AIDS Caerdydd wnaeth drefnu'r Coffa Golau Cannwyll gyntaf yng Nghymru ar 1 Rhagfyr 1993 ar risiau Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd, lle casglodd bron i 600 o bobl i gofio. Cynhaliwyd Coffa Golau Cannwyll eto ar Ddiwrnod AIDS y Byd 1994, ar ôl plannu'r goeden yn y dydd.

Roedd llinell gymorth AIDS Caerdydd hefyd yn bodoli ar y pryd, a rhwydwaith AIDS De Morgannwg. Llinell Gymorth AIDS Caerdydd wnaeth drefnu'r Coffa Golau Cannwyll gyntaf yng Nghymru ar 1 Rhagfyr 1993 ar risiau Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd, lle casglodd bron i 600 o bobl i gofio. Cynhaliwyd Coffa Golau Cannwyll eto ar Ddiwrnod AIDS y Byd 1994, ar ôl plannu'r goeden yn y dydd.

Ours to Tell

Ivy Kelly, ACP, 25 Medi 2024

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.

The People's Pledge

Valentine Gigandet, ACP, 25 Chwefror 2024

With the festive season upon us, it's important to consider the privilege it is to be able to celebrate in a time of major conflict and global issues and what part we can play that offers positive steps forward in supporting those most affected across the world.

Because of my background in character design and puppetry, I'm often interested in working on a human scale, perhaps by creating characters or puppets. That's why I thought of designing a workshop where participants create flat figures representing individuals making pledges. The idea was also that these figures could facilitate debates or conversations, symbolising our commitments and exploring scales and proportions. Initially, I even wanted to provide time and space within the workshop for participants to use their characters to discuss their pledges. Inspired by puppetry, participants would embody their characters and articulate their ideas, creating a sense of accountability and encouraging action.

When I think or talk about urgent topics like those that inspired the works exhibited at the Arts Mundi exhibition, I'm always mindful that real people are involved in these massive issues. These individuals might not always be engaged in politics, but they are inevitably affected by it.

While we may feel overwhelmed by the urgency and scale of these issues, as people, we can also use our voices and actions to make pledges - that is the thought behind the title of the workshop ‘People’s Pledges’.

When we did the workshop at Cardiff National Museum during February half term, conversations revolved around being kind to each other, protecting our environment, people protesting on the streets, the right to protest, being open to learning about other cultures, being kind to people in our support circle, anti-consumerism behaviours, and the climate crisis…

Originally designed for adults and intended for the LATES event at the museum, we were unsure about how children and families would respond… It was mostly successful, with some parents engaging in conversations with their children as they designed their characters. However, some parents opted not to participate, thinking that the workshop as mostly for children but the workshop was originally planned with adults in mind. This workshop is open to all ages and everyone is welcome to participate!

We hope to facilitate the workshop again, possibly in an outreach setting, as it creates a great opportunity to discuss how we can effect change and take action in our daily lives. Perhaps we could build a whole community of small characters making pledges marching towards action?!