Between the heat waves on a sunny Thursday evening in July we embarked on a tour of Baneswell. The tour included stories, songs, live art and dancing that was curated from research with the local community. It traversed an inner-city neighbourhood that in recent times has suffered from, what some might call, diminishing potential. Of the once 14 thriving pubs only one remains, the community centre is lost, empty, and church buildings have been decommissioned.
Many early conversations focused on these negatives and the difficulties of living in close proximity to many others (and their pets). As our presence became more established through social media groups and a residency in a local community hub, we began to hear of a greater community spirit, of places that served and cared for the people who live here. We heard hilarious tales in the pub of late-night lock ins and parties, of local prestigious weddings and seductive alleys for youthful romantic rendezvous. We offered some creative writing workshops, a drop-in evening twice a week and a couple of neighbourhood walks. These were our building blocks to create a celebration of a place, the spaces it provides and the people who live here.
The creative collective was recruited for their relationship with the city of Newport, for their connection to Baneswell and for their willingness to explore location specific work. The idea of a tour had been born in Freiburg during our first stage Cultural Bridge funding. We were working on song writing workshops as a means to develop connection and creating a voice with the community there. Carla’s father, Steffan, had celebrated a milestone birthday and the family had gifted him a guided tour of Freiburg. It inspired a conversation that became a reality last week.
This has been at the heart of this collaboration with Cargo Theater. The two-stage funding has allowed us time to build a rapport, a genuine opportunity to share our working practices and explore new opportunities together, in two different places. The second stage has become an ambitious exchange and I felt this inspired us, as a small company to engage with our community and local creatives and to raise the bar for what is possible in this location. Our creative tour involved a cast of 8, a British Sign Language Interpreter, two live artists creating a large community painting and an exhibition curator who collected artwork from local people… that is in a local venue for the next two weeks. We printed and distributed “I Love Baneswell” t-shirts at a pay what you can rate and stickers to spread a positive message. The feedback locally has been very positive. A neighbour shouted across the road that “we’d put a smile on people’s faces”. Another messaged to say that this “was a reminder of how important community really is”.
Next week we travel to Freiburg. Our mission is a similar one but this time we tour the neighbourhood of Haslach, with a choir. The Südufur Choir has upwards of 30 members and they have been learning some specially created compositions for the tour. They have also learned the Welsh folk song ‘Sosban Fach’ for an evening concert. The exchange continues and I feel certain this is just the beginning of a long and lasting collaboration and friendship.