Becoming Lichen - irregular diary - part 8

Lichen Dreaming was a culmination of the first period of research of the Becoming Lichen project; a celebration of lichen life on this western edge of Europe, where these lifeforms thrive.

We assembled at Gregynog Hall and woodlands for a day of interspecies dreamtime and an opportunity to re-imagine our relationships to these ancient and resilient beings.

The event opened with A Lichen Dreaming, installed in the Blayney Room (lined with wood carved panelling from 1636) a sound installation featuring recent field recordings of Lichen colonies in Coetir Tycanol, Pembrokeshire, it became a place to dream and rest with lichen;. Over the afternoon the room hosted a newly commissioned lichen score by Barnaby Oliver (Melbourne) for Hafren Community Choir (Newtown). With contributions from Harpist Ceri Owen-Jones and Cai Tomos, movement artist, with Cain, a group of elder performers from Galeri (Caernarfon), responding to the installation and the temporal and haptic qualities of lichen. People lay on the floor and bean bags, immersed in lichen sound, many feel asleep…

In the concert hall there was a carefully curated programme of Lichen films by Oriel Davies, including Becoming Lichen (an Oriel Davies commission by Ellie Orrell) and a new Natur am Byth commissioned film by boredomresearch, exploring Bryophytes, a collaboration between British artists Vicky Isley and Paul Smith (Southampton, ENG) and students at Newtown College.

Ellie Baggett (Natur am Byth/ Plantlife) and Josie Bridges (Natur am Byth) led 2 lichen walks, exploring the extensive Gregynog woodlands in search of unusual Lichen. The ecologists created a small laboratory in the building, with microscopes and interpretation materials, another opportunity to dive into dreamy and complex lichen worlds. Visitors were also invited to adopt a lichen for the afternoon, to carry or wear them as they visited the different activities.

Later, I offered a lichen movement session on the lawn. A mixed age group of around 20 people took part. We moved slowly, absorbed the sun, using movement to think about symbiosis. Ending with a group movement score, we moved as one community body, containing multiple beings and parts.

Embracing The Dreaming , or Dreamtime; a foundational concept in Australian Aboriginal culture and also a phenomenon that intersects with pre-medieval Welsh storytelling and poetry (incl. The Mabinogion), something passed down through art making, ceremonies, dance and songs. Lichen Dreaming was offered as a vehicle from the past to the present to the future, evoking the deep timescale of lichen life. The event presented multiple activities, experiences and performances; the audience invited to navigate/ curate their own journeys through the afternoon. This event opened a window into the research process, bringing together the different activities and outcomes into one landscape. The people who visited played their part in the making of the event. A kind of human - other than human symbiosis perhaps? A slow movement…

Supported by Arts Council of Wales & Natur am Byth

S.W.