Cynefin becomes Theatr Cynefin

Cynefin is ten years old this year and in May the Cynefin Director and Associate Directors met to decide the best future for Cynefin, now that the Director will not be based in Wales.

The committee we have had up to this point are all based in South West Wales where the director lived previously. We decided then to start a new company registered as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and with an address in North Wales, where most of the work in Wales is happening. this company is called Theatr Cynefin and will move forward with the Cynefin portfolio of work.

Megan Broadmeadow, being the only totally freelance Associate was made Co-Director with Iwan Brioc and will be the representative of Theatr Cynefin in Wales and Alaw Rowlands was made a Secretary of the company.

We are very grateful to the Chair, Melanie Lucking and members of the Cynefin committee who all these years have been nothing but supportive of our adventures, including this change over which relieves them of their current relationship. However, we hope that they will always remain connected to our endeavours in the years to come.

Short video presenting the Labyrinth created in Piodao in Portugal, February 2009

Merida, Venezuela Labyrinth

Iwan Brioc was in Merida, Venezuela in April at the Arts, Peace and Sustainability Conference hosted by The University of the Andes. Thanks to Alejandra, Jesus and Birgit and all who showed such commitment to dream to life a Sensory Labyrinth experience in the Botanical Gardens for the conference delegates.

Thanks also to Wales Arts International for making it possible to contribute to this unique and important event.

The Republic and INFACCT is Born

The seminar in Llandudno, Wales in March was very successful in bringing together 15 countries to create a network...to be called INFACCT - International Network for Awareness Creative, Citizenship and Transformation. Further information on this network will appear on the network website - www.infacct.org and also links to the current members.

Another outcome of the seminar was the firm intention also to start a school of Sensory Labyrinth Theatre, which will be called The Republic of the Imagination and will, at least for its formative years, be based in Belgrade, Serbia.

Further information about the school is being compiled here www.troti.org and we will be looking for students to join us in our first year in September.

Thanks go to the European Youth in Action programme for funding the seminar.

Llandudno Welcomes ‘The Republic of the Imagination’

Wales based Community Arts Organization, Cynefin, will welcome artists and cultural youth workers from 15 different countries to Llandudno in March, where it will host a seminar on Applied Participative Arts.

Cultural youth workers, artists and young people from Iceland, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, France, Portugal, Austria, Hungary and Wales will come together for the inaugural meeting of a European Network of called ‘The Republic of the Imagination.’ The seminar will explore and discuss a variety of methods of working with young people at risk of social exclusion through the arts and in particular the applied methodology developed by Cynefin, called Sensory Labyrinth Theatre.

This method of creating site specific labyrinth instillations in natural and built environments has been pioneered over the last nine years by Cynefin with projects throughout Europe. These labyrinths are co-created with communities and can be permanent, like Caerdroia in the Gwydyr Forest near Llanrwst, North Wales - the largest Labyrinth in the world, built by Cynefin in 2005; or can last only as long as is needed to stage unique performances. Audiences to these performances travel alone through the labyrinth in the dark and encounter a kind of theatre that engages all the senses and leads people to report –

“One lives and thinks differently after walking through the labyrinth.”

“I feel I am complete in some way”

“One always waits for such an experience. Rarely do you realize you are waiting and even more rarely does that waiting give fruit. I am happy that such a rare happening has happened to me.”

The Republic of the Imagination will be a new network that supports the use of Sensory Labyrinth Theatre and other participative arts methodologies, raising the profile of these innovative techniques that help us celebrate the joy of being creative together. It will do this by providing a basis for co-operation between organizations working with young people is some of the most difficult circumstances and disseminating through the media the argument for greater investment in this work and in particular this work as a basis for inter-cultural dialogue.

Artistic Director of Cynefin, Iwan Brioc says “This will be a very important meeting for the future of this quite specialized field and I’m very glad to be hosting it here in Llandudno. Wales hits above its weight in Europe in terms of its influence on applied participative arts.”

There will be a networking event at 2:30pm on Friday the 20th March at Llandudno Town Hall and a launch of the network.

Addendum:

and the objects of the network are –

… to carry on activities which benefit the international community and in particular (without limitation) young people who are disadvantaged, to develop and apply training, research, projects and performances in participative arts and in particular Sensory Labyrinth Theatre to help revitalize communities, stimulate awareness and unfold capacity.


Relevant websites –

www.cynefin.org.uk
www.republicoftheimagination.com
http://republicoftheimagination.blogspot.com/

Contact Details:

Iwan Brioc, Artistic Director
07766 168973
iwan@cynefin.org.uk

Piodao

Than you to AE2O in Portugal for hosting Sensory Labyrinth Theatre training in this beautiful village in Portugal.

Photo:Robert Klement

Three days is not enough for a labyrinth training but even so the group of 40 people from some 9 different countries braved the steep climbs and drizzle to create a magical journey for the young students of the second Chance School who travelled from Porto to see the ‘performance’. Thank you also to the people of Piodao, some of whom followed the audience through the labyrinth, creating a kind of play within a play effect which I really enjoyed watching…a play within a play within a play!

Two New Events Confirmed

Cynefin will be hosting a seminar in Llandudno, North Wales in March with 13 countries participating.

From the 16th to the 22nd March artists, cultural youth workers and young people from Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, France, Portugal, Austria, Hungary and Wales will come together for the inaugural meeting of a European Network of Sensory Labyrinth Theatre called ‘The Republic of the Imagination.” The seminar will explore and discuss a variety of methods of using the arts with young disadvantaged people and in particular the applied methodology developed by Cynefin director, Iwan Brioc called Sensory Labyrinth Theatre.

One of the consequences of the project will be the creation of two Sensory Labyrinth Theatre experience for participants and local community members. There are places for three artists from Wales. Please get in touch if you are interested in participating in the seminar.

The other event is a Sensory Labyrinth Theatre training in Porto, Portugal 23rd February to 1st March. Again there are 3 places for participants from Wales and anyone interested should contact iwan@cynefin.org.uk as soon as possible.

Both events are funded by the European Union Youth in Action Programme.

New film of Sofia Labyrinth

Thanks to Svetlo for this video of feedback to the labyrinth in Sofia - "The Wonder of the Other"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URN8P9kmLx8