Y S T R A D | S T R A T A

An investigative partnership between David Morgan-Davies and Geraint Ffrancon, digging into the different layers of what it is to be Welsh, and looking beyond the cliches into what Wales has been, and what it can be in the future ////// Partneriaeth ymchwilgar yn cloddio trwy wahanol haenau o Cymreigrwydd, heibio’r ystrydebau a tuag at Gymru’r gorffennol a Chymru’r dyfodol      

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Yn gynharach y flwyddyn hon roedd gan tîm rygbi Bryste 15 o chwaraewyr Cymraeg yn eu carfan. Nhw yw prif dîm rygbi y diaspora Cymraeg, ac er mwyn dathlu hyn fe wahoddodd Ystrad | Strata pawb i ymuno a nhw yn stadiwm Ashton Gate, Bryste, ar y 27ain o Ragfyr ar gyfer Cymru Bryste v Cymru Llundain. Bydd ffilm o’r digwyddiad yn ymddangos yma’n fuan.

Earlier this year Bristol Rugby had 15 Welsh players on their books. To celebrate Bristol becoming the premier team for the Welsh rugby diaspora, Ystrad | Strata invited all to join them at Ashton Gate on Sunday 27th December for Bristol Welsh vs London Welsh. A film of the event will appear here soon.

My father took me to London Welsh matches in 1970′s when legends such as JPR Williams, Gerald Davies and John Taylor graced Old Deer Park. Those days are gone, but recently Bristol rugby had 15 welsh players in their squad for the 2015-16 season.

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We’ll be talking Ystrad | Strata.. Diwrnod yng Nghymru Fydd // A Day in Future Wales Music,literature,performance,art,Film,discussion.

Canolfan Ofod Arad Goch Space Centre Bath Street Aberystwyth SY23 2NN Wales

Sat 28th November 2015 1pm-11:30pm

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Inspired by the 100th anniversary of William Smith’s first published Geological Map of England and Wales. Geological strata on both sides of the Afon Hafren, but unfortunatley Mr Smith ran out of felt tips in Wales! 

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WEST/WALES | EAST/ENGLAND (2015-)

Across the Severn Estuary (Môr Hafren) you can look West into Wales and East out to England - viewing the past, present and future in one sweep of the eye. Sometimes the view is crystal clear, sometimes hazy or even nonexistent.

Severn Beach across to Wales (top 3 photos)

Using my father’s 1950′s Agfa Isolett Medium Format film camera. From old to new; film processed and then scanned [David Morgan Davies]

Caldicot across to England (bottom photo)

Current technology (iPhone 6) with #NoFilter. A truly other-worldly Autumn day!

[David Morgan-Davies & Geraint Ffrancon]

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REFRIGERATOR DRONE MUSIC (2014)

A heady mix of original music and found sound distilling the essence of a fictional future Dylan Thomas on the occasion of his centenary. Originally broadcast from Thomas’ writing shed in Laugharne as part of the Dylan Thomas 100 centenary celebrations [Geraint Ffrancon]

Refrigerator Drone Music was originally put together for Public Information Night, a 24-hour internet radio marathon broadcast from Dylan Thomas’ fabled writing shed in Laugharne, West Wales, and part of the Dylan Thomas 100 celebrations. A heady mix of original music and found sound, the recording seeks to capture the spirit of Thomas while steering well clear of the usual clichés, instead aiming to distill the essence of a fictional future Dylan on the centenary of his birth. The title is a line from a little-known unfinished novel of his called ‘Adventures In The Skin Trade’ where he talks about “the drone of the refrigerator in the village butchers”. --- Creuwyd Refrigerator Drone Music ar gyfer Noson Gwybodaeth Cyhoeddus, darllediad we radio 24-awr o sied sgrifennu Dylan Thomas yn Nhalacharn oedd yn rhan o dathliadau Dylan Thomas 100. Yn gymysgiad meddwol o gerddoriaeth wreiddiol a dargan-swn, mae'r recordiad yn ceisio dal ysbryd Thomas tra'n anwybyddu'r ystrydebau arferol, yn hytrach yn anelu at ddistyllu Dylan ffug o'r dyfodol, ar achlysur can mlynedd ers ei geni. Daw teitl y darn o nofel anorffenedig o'r enw 'Adventures In The Skin Trade' ble mae'n sôn am "the drone of the refrigerator in the village butchers".

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WASA (2014-)

A log of WASA launch site activity throughout Wales

Pit winding gear re-purposed as space flight launch facility (above)

Launch site under construction in South Wales (below)

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LIFE BEFORE COLOUR (2015)

Using my father & grandfather’s colour slides of Cardiff from the 1950/60′s as a starting point, Life Before Colour reflects upon my own roots, using photography as historical documents and cities as evolving landscapes [David Morgan-Davies]

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e1002 (2010)

Trac sain electroneg ar gyfer siwrnai Tintin a Milyn i’r gofod | An electronic soundtrack to Tintin and Milyn’s journey to space [Geraint Ffrancon]

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SEARCHING FOR THE EMERALD CITY (2008)

Whilst camping in West Wales in the summer of 2008 I was struck by the ambiguity of finding much of the UK’s petrochemical industry in the wild and untouched landscape of Pembrokeshire. A bigger visual impact however was found at night when the refineries were transformed into glowing cities on the horizon. They reminded me of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz, and I spent one evening capturing them on film [David Morgan Davies, sound by Matt Davies]

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Y CRACK CYMRAEG (2005)

Ailgymysgu cerddoriaeth traddodiadol Cymreig er mwyn creu Cymru newydd arallfydol ::::: Remixing traditional Welsh folk music to create a weird new Wales [Geraint Ffrancon]