Gan Catrin Davies, Tywysydd Artes Mundi
By Catrin Davies, Artes Mundi Live Guide
Cawsom ymweliad gan blant o ysgol St Gabriel y prynhawn yma. Daeth 22 o blant i edrych, ymateb ac i siarad am y gwaith yma yn arddangosfa Artes Mundi. Yn hytrach na edrych ar yr holl waith yn yr arddangosfa, penderfynodd Kat, sef y tywysydd arall a mi i ganolbwyntio ar dau fideo. Rhain oedd 'Factory' gan artist o Daiwan a 'Liminal Crossing' gan artist o Bwlgaria. Mae rhai o'r themau yn yr arddangosfa eleni yn gymhleth, efo gwleidyddiaeth yn ddylanwad amlwg mewn ambell i ddarn. Sialens oedd gan Kat a mi, felly, i greu gweithdy cyffrous, heb or-gymhlethu'r plant oedd ond yn 9 mlwydd oed. Sut mae esbonio fideo am ffactori sydd wedi cau yn Taiwan, oherwydd fod gweithwyr yn rhatach yn Tseina? Sut mae esbonio fideo sy'n dangos pobl yn gadael eu cartrefi yn Bwlgaria am fywyd gwell yn Twrci? Fyddai'r disgyblion yn deall yr hyn oeddynt yn eu gweld? Cafodd unrhyw bryderon oedd gennyf eu chwalu wrth i'r plant ddechrau ymateb a thrafod y gwaith. Roedd pob ymateb wedi ei ystyried, gydag un disgybl yn dweud fod y ffatri yn Taiwan yn ymddangos fel lle trist i gymharu a'r ffatri a welir yn 'Coronation Street'! Roedd eu ymateb i'r gwaith yn ddeallus, a sawl disgybl yn edrych ar safbwyntiau gwahanol.
Ar ol edrych ar y fideo o Daiwan ac yna Bwlgaria, dychwelasom unwaith eto i Gymru fach i wneud gweithgaredd am y thema, 'Teithio.' Dyma lle yr oeddynt nes daeth yr amser iddynt hwy ddychwelyd ar eu taith hwythau yn ol i'r ysgol.
From Wales to Taiwan to Bulgaria in an hour and a half
We had a visit from the pupils of St Gabiel school this afternoon. 22 children came to look,talk about and respond to the work here at the Artes Mundi. We concentrated on two works in the exhibition. These were, Factory, by an artist from Taiwan, and 'Liminal Crossing', by an artist originally from Bulgaria. Political issues have had an influence on much of the work in the show this year. Our challenge, as live guides was to break down some of the themes in the exhibition for a class of 8 - 10 year olds. How do you explain a video that's based on a factory in Taiwan that closed down due to cheaper labour elsewhere? Would they understand why a family left their homes in Bulgaria for a better life in Turkey? Any concerns that I had were shattered as soon as we began our discussion with the pupils. All of their responses were informed and relevant, with one pupil even commenting that the factory in Taiwan seemed like a depressing place to work compared to the factory on Coronation Street! Their understanding and interaction with the work was great, with many of the individuals considering different viewpoints.
After looking at the work from Taiwan and Bulgaria, we returned once again to Wales to make an activity based on the theme of 'Journey'. This is where we stayed until it was time for them to depart on their own journey back to their school.
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