A chance to learn about your local history and exploring the landscape

09.08.2021

This summer sees the launch of the Mapping Land Voices walking and drawing project by Dorry Spikes and Rupert Allan. Mapping Land Voices is a series of online art workshops aimed at sharing and responding to the Stories of the Forest sound archives and providing an immersive Walking and Drawing Toolkit for people to reinhabit the oral histories of Ceredigion's mountain communities.

Drawings will be made and geo-situated on location whilst listening to a selection of local archive recordings and revisiting ancient pathways in the Cambrian Uplands (using smartphones). This is an opportunity to join a community drawing group and to be part of the UK’s 'Unlocking our Sound Heritage’ project, led by the British Library and coordinated by the National Library of Wales/People's Collection Wales.

Alison Smith, Unlocking Our Sound Heritage Hub Project Manager said:

"The Unlocking Our Sound Heritage Project is delighted to be working with both Rupert Allan and Dorry Spikes. The collaborative approach will ensure that we do not lose the voices and stories that is a part of our history. Communities will be able to listen and engage with these recordings and hear about how people used to live in their area and uncover some hidden traditions."

Rupert Allen said:

"I knew it would be amazing to connect these magical records with new technologies, but these stories are fascinating beyond my expectations. Having lived and worked in the uplands and boglands, I know a few of the local legends, but these interviews - and the brilliant skill with which they were performed - resonate with my practical sense of belonging in these mountains which I now call my home."

Workshops will cover -

• Using OpenStreetMap (OSMAnd) on smartphones to follow gpx walking routes.
• Smartphone access to location-specific sound recordings (for the duration of the project)
• Drawing on location workshops (with optional meet-ups)
• How to geo-locate images
• How to share images on People’s Collection Wales.
• How to access other sound files in the National Library of Wales/ British Library
• How to create a simple and free embedded map with notes and images for your personal website or blog.
• Introduction to Wikimedia and OpenStreetMap methodologies for this kind of work.

* Please note: some of the online workshops will be hosted in English Language. The oral histories we are using in this particular project are primarily in Welsh Language.

If you love learning about your local history and exploring the landscape, these workshops are free and open to anyone over 18 with a smartphone. To sign up please visit Eventbrite. Please note that only a limited number of places are available.

Project Schedule

Digital Workshop 1 - 05/08 18:00 - 19:00
Introduction to OSMAnd, GPX tracks, Accessing sound files, Drawing on location preparation
Digital Workshop 2 - 26/08 18:00 - 19:00
Online meetup - sharing drawings and reflections on the archives and walks
Digital Workshop 3 - 02/09 18:00 - 19:00
Introduction to People's Collection Wales resource by Gruffydd Jones
Digital Workshop 4 - 09/09 18:00-19:00
OpenStreetMap and  the use of simple free online route and image maps (U-Map) for websites and blogs - Rupert Allan. Introduction to Wikimedia by Jason Evans the National Wikimedian
Optional Walking and Drawing Meetups:
Saturday 7 August 10:00-4:00 - Y Crofftau
Saturday 21st August 10:00-4:00 - The Last Postman on Horseback
TBC - Nant y Doethie

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Further information:
Alison Smith : alison.smith@llgc.org.uk or uosh@llyfrgell.cymru

**Mae'r datganiad yma hefyd ar gael yn y Gymraeg**