Cyffredinol

An article by me, published on the website Waleshome today:

Connecting Cultures

TODAY is the Chinese New Year, and we enter the year of the Rabbit.

Although we have been celebrating the Chinese New Year for a number of years at Amgueddfa Cymru –National Museum Wales, this year is extra special for us as it coincides with the unique exhibition that we are currently hosting at National Museum Cardiff – From Steep Hillsides: Ancient Rock Carvings from Dazu, China. This exhibition has been a coup, not only for Amgueddfa Cymru but also for Wales as these sculptures have never before been seen outside of China. We feel very privileged to have been chosen as the first ever venue to host them outside of their homeland and I’m confident that this free exhibition will be popular with our visitors.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to visit the exhibition, then it is difficult to convey in words just how magical they are. The carvings originate from the steep hillsides of the Dazu World Heritage site near Chongqing, which contain an exceptional series of rock carvings dating from the middle of the 7th century and developed between the 9th and the 13th centuries. The carvings comprise some 50,000 figures in total, and are remarkable for their aesthetic quality, their rich diversity of subject matter, both secular and religious, and the light that they shed on everyday life in China during this period. By a happy coincidence, a few years ago I was lucky enough to visit Dazu and see them for myself. It was an unique experience, and I remember being blown away by them. Obviously, we couldn’t bring all 50,000 figures to Wales, but this exhibition contains superb examples that have become detached from their original setting, along with accurate replicas of some of the most important sculptures still in situ and dramatic large-scale images, to give some idea of what it is like to visit these spectacular places.

Dazu is a real treasure house of Chinese art history and an important expression of Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism, as well as a fascinating insight into Chinese daily life. I cannot overemphasise how remarkable these carvings are, and certainly, this exhibition would not be out of place at any world-class museum. A question that I have been asked since the exhibition opened has been why was Wales selected as a venue for this stunning exhibition rather than somewhere like the British Museum or the Victoria and Albert? The answer lies in the blossoming relationship between Wales and the Chongqing region in China, which has been led by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The origin of the relationship was a recommendation from Premier Wan Jiabao during his visit to Wales in 2000, which resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Chongqing Municipal Government and the Welsh Assembly Government, agreeing to collaboration and co-operation in a number of areas, which was signed during First Minister for Wales Rhodri Morgan’s visit to Chongqing in March 2006. Since then Wales has welcomed a number of visitors from Chongqing and delegations from Wales have visited Chongqing. The Welsh Assembly Government also funds a schools project, managed by British Council, which links more than 50 Welsh schools with schools in Chongqing. There have been several exchange visits by the schools to Chongqing and to Wales.

This relationship has also extended into culture, and National Museum Wales has established a relationship with several cultural organisations in Chongqing. It is hoped that this exhibition is the first of many such exchanges, which will in future include sending some of our own collections to China. Not only will we be able to continue to showcase Chinese culture in Wales but we will also be able to showcase Wales to the world. Both countries are steeped in history and culture, and it is a fantastic opportunity for us to share our national stories.

Establishing strong links between Wales and China is obviously of great importance to the Welsh Assembly Government, and it was widely commented upon that Wales had been excluded from the itinerary of a recent Chinese trade delegation that visited the UK. But those critics should not despair. I believe that the Welsh Assembly Government is laying the foundations for a successful long term friendship between the two countries, not just a relationship based on business and economics. This exhibition is a small but not insignificant part of that burgeoning friendship which will hopefully evolve over time.

Penwythnos diwethaf, fe ymwelodd fy ngwraig Josie, fy merch Isobel a fy mab Desmond a Chaerdydd. Rydym yn dal i chwilio am gartef parhaol i'r teulu yma felly roeddwn eisiau cymeryd y cyfle i ddangos Caerdydd iddyn nhw. Prynhawn Sadwrn, fe aethom i Sain Ffagan. Deuthom ar draw staff oedd wedi bod yn gweithio'n eithriadol o galed i glirio'r eira fel bod y safle yn medru agor i ymwelwyr ar y dydd Sul. Roedd yn parhau i fod yn rhy beryglus i ni fedru fynd o'i gwmpas, ond wrth lwc, roedd digon i'w weld yn Oriel 1. Roedd yn gyfle gwych i ni dreulio amser yn yr orielau ac i mi weld beth sydd yn digwydd i'r safle pan mae eira'n disgyn!

Yna dydd Llun, fe es i fyny i'r Alban ar gyfer nifer o gyfarfodydd. Roedd Caeredin yn edrych yn eithaf llwm ond hefyd yn eithaf rhamantus yn yr eira, er doedd hi ddim yn hawdd teithio o gwmpas oherwydd y tywydd. Roeddwn i fod i gyfrafod Gordon Rintoul, Cyfarwyddwr Amgueddfeydd Cenedlaethol yr Alban, ond yn anffodus roedd o'n sal gyda'r ffliw. Serch hynny, fe wnes i gyfarfod nifer o'i staff a chael trafodaethau difyr ynglyn ag addysg, ymgysulltu ac ymgynghori a'r cyhoedd a'r ffordd y mae casgliadau yn cael eu trefnu, ynghyd a hefyd y bygythiad gan lywodraeth San Steffan o ran cyllid y 'portable antiquities scheme'. Rwyf yn fawr obeithio y bydd trafodaethau pellach yn medru sicrhau ein bod yn achub y cynllun pwysig hwn.

By some miracle we have half-decent internet connection at the office. Actually it’s not a miracle, as I happen to know that the server providers were working on the problem over the weekend. I guess I just didn’t believe it would make any difference, any more than I believed that the designers I was supposed to be seeing on Friday would turn up, or that my ‘office’ would really only take a day to ‘decorate’ (the day in question being last Monday) or that my mail will ever turn up.

Ooh, all sounds a bit harsh I know. But I’ve just had my third frustrating visit to immigration, thinking I finally had everything I need to renew my permit, only to be told I have to return on Thursday, after ‘the boss’ has had time to check my file (so what have they been doing?!). Was also sheepishly informed by my colleague that he won’t be here most of this week as he’s on and M&E training course; this is my last week of working with the organization, and I should be crossing every t and dotting every single I with him.

But what really set a bad tone for me this week – while also putting my whinging right into perspective – was finding out on Sunday evening that my host had been in a car crash. She, some colleagues – and her baby – were travelling to Livingstone. Seeing as she was being made to make the 8-hour journey, on a Sunday, she’d decided to treat the time there as a couple of much-needed stress-free days out of the office. Instead, they drove through a downpour for about half the journey until the car slipped off the side of the road and flipped over. I don’t know who I felt more sorry for, her in Livingstone with the baby, suffering from shock and fright, or her poor husband at home waiting and worrying until the next morning when he could travel down to join them. They’ve all been discharged from hospital with, apart from the shock, nothing more serious than cuts and bruises. The fatality rate for road accidents in Zambia is notorious, partly due to the driving in the cities and partly due to the terrible condition of the roads outside the cities, especially now that the rains are here. The fact that they escaped with nothing broken – or worse – really is a miracle.

Ychydig dros bythefnos yn ôl, fe ddechreuais yn fy swydd yma yn Amgueddfa Cymru. Mae wedi bod yn gychwyn digon prysur wrth i mi fynd ati i gwrdd â staff ym mhob un o'n safleoedd ni, yn ogystal â mynychu dathliadau pen-blwydd Amgueddfa'r Glannau yn bump oed. Mae pawb wedi bod yn arbennig o groesawgar, ac rydw i'n falch iawn o gael y cyfle i arwain sefydliad sydd mor uchel ei barch.

Rydw i wedi ymuno ag Amgueddfa Cymru ar adeg gyffrous iawn. Mae datblygiadau ar droed i greu Amgueddfa Hanes yn Sain Ffagan ac i droi llawr cyntaf Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd yn Amgueddfa Gelf Genedlaethol i Gymru - disgwylir y bydd y gwaith yma wedi'i gwblhau ym mis Gorffennaf 2011. Dros y misoedd nesaf, byddaf i'n cefnogi cynnydd y projectau yma yn ogystal ag yn cadarnhau'r neges bod Amgueddfa Cymru yn adnodd modern ar gyfer Cymru. Swyddogaeth yr Amgueddfeydd Cenedlaethol yw gwasanaethu pobl Cymru, ac un ffordd o lwyddo i roi'r weledigaeth yma ar waith yw ffurfio partneriaethau diwylliannol. O ystyried sefyllfa ariannol y wlad ar hyn o bryd, mae'r dull yma yn bwysicach fyth.

Wythnos diwethaf, lansiwyd ein dogfen Ysbrydoli Cymru

yn y Senedd. Mae dysgu wrth wraidd popeth a wna Amgueddfa Cymru ac mae'r papur yma'n dathlu'r gwaith yma, a'n gweledigaeth ni o fod yn amgueddfa ddysg o safon ryngwladol. Mae'r llyfryn yn dangos sut mae ein gwaith o ddehongli a chyfathrebu ein casgliadau i bobl Cymru, a'i hymwelwyr, yr un mor bwysig â bod yn geidwaid i gasgliadau'r genedl.

Mae Amgueddfa Cymru yn unigryw ymysg amgueddfeydd cenedlaethol yr Ynysoedd Prydeinig oherwydd ei amrywiaeth o safleoedd a hefyd eu cysylltiad clos gyda'r cymunedau a'r rhanbarthau y maent yn rhan ohonynt. All yr un amgueddfa genedlaethol yn Llundain ddod yn agos at gyflawni hyn.

Mae'r casgliadau hefyd yn anhygoel o amrywiol yn eu hystod eang o ddisgyblaethau - o hanes cymdeithasol i gelf, o wyddoniaeth natur i hanes diwydiannol. Mae hyn yn galluogi'r amgueddfa i apelio i gynulleidfa eang, gyda chydbwysedd rhwng y rhywiau - sydd eto'n wahanol i rai amgueddfeydd yn Llundain!

Mae'r cyfle i weithio yn un o'r prif amgueddfeydd Celtaidd yn apelio'n fawr imi. A minnau wedi fy ngeni ym Melffast, ac wedi astudio Archaeoleg a Hanes Iwerddon yn yr Alban, rwyf yn falch o gael y cyfle nawr i ddysgu mwy about am ddiwylliant a hanes Cymru.