‘D.J. a fi’ draws on aspects of the work of Welsh author D.J. Williams and examines their potential to inspire the creation and inform the analysis of contemporary site-specific performance. Williams’s memoir, The Old Farmhouse, provides unique insights into the landscape of childhood, the located nature of memory, the dramaturgy of storytelling and the role of the teller. The author employs these insights to develop and suggest a number of practical and theoretical approaches to the use of biography, family history, domestic architecture and local knowledge in devised performance. Referring extensively to his own work, ‘Bubbling Tom’ (2000), a peripatetic solo performance staged in the village of his own upbringing in rural Lincolnshire: a guided tour of the places he knew at the age of seven – he discusses the importance of Williams’s work in inspiring dramatic forms that seek to reveal the grain of experience by addressing the intimate and familiar, the details of everyday life and its fabric.
Predicting contributions by the last glaciers of Eryri (Snowdonia) to Younger Dryas carbon cycling
The concept of glaciers as active ecosystems is strongly supported by evidence of significant contributions to global carbon and macronutrient cycles by extant glaciers. Regrettably, the roles of glacial ecosystems in past glaciations are generally overlooked. Therefore we reconstructed glacial habitats and carbon fluxes on the last glaciers of north Wales at their maximum extent during the Younger Dryas chronozone glaciation. Net uptake of 30-180 kg C of CO2 and emissions of 265-1591 g C CH4 per annum are estimated for the palaeoglaciers. This emphasises the hitherto unexplored potential for the last Welsh glaciers as actors in biogeochemical cycles; however our understanding could be extended by linking our knowledge of contemporary glacial ecosystems with analyses of sedimentary biomarkers and thermomechanical models of Devensian ice mass dynamics.
Astudio Busnes Drwy Gyfrwng y Gymraeg
Cyfres o glipiau digidol yn pwysleisio’r manteision o astudio a gweithio trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg ym myd Busnes.
Welsh in the Foundation Phase
The Foundation Phase (FP) is a statutory curriculum in each state school in Wales since 2008. The curriculum follows a developmentally appropriate pedagogy, and encourages children to engage by learning through experiences. The paper that follows is taken from a wider evaluation of the FP, commissioned by Welsh Government in 2012 and considers one of the seven areas of learning; Welsh language development. Results indicated no significant difference between how the Foundation Phase was implemented in Welsh and English medium schools. But, Welsh language development usually took place in whole-class morning activities (e.g. circle time) which doesn’t pair with the Welsh Government’s vision of intertwining the language in every aspect of the FP. The paper considers how schools and settings go about developing bilingual individuals, according to Welsh Government policy aspirations.
Choice and the citizen? Health decisions and their implications for developing a Welsh citizenship
Health services offer a privileged space to define the proper relationship of the citizen and the modern state. Individuals have been expected to make choices in health care in Wales and England since the 1980s. A new vaccine against some types of cervical cancer was recently introduced for girls. Parents are expected to consent on behalf of their daughters. This paper reports the results of the largest qualitative study in this area world-wide. It depicts attitudes to health care choice and discusses parents’ experiences of consenting or not. Parents’ decisional strategies in the face of uncertainty are analysed. Consequences of the study relate to the individuals’ relationship with the Welsh National Health Service (NHS) and to developing a concept of Welsh citizenship.
Bagloriaeth Cymru
Bwriad y ddau becyn yma yw rhoi cymorth i athrawon i gyflwyno’r elfen Cymru, Ewrop a’r Byd o Fagloriaeth Cymru. Trefnwyd y pecynau o gwmpas themâu gwahanol, a phob un yn edrych ar le Cymru yn Ewrop ac yn y byd mewn modd bywiog a chyffrous.
Woyzeck Büchner, Peter Szondi and the crisis of drama
In this article Myfanwy Miles Jones analyses Büchner’s portrayal of the central character’s developing psychosis in the light of R. D. Laing’s existential psychiatric theory. Observing the progressive nature of Büchner’s dramatisation of the depth and coplexity of the human mind in turn reveals the formal limitations of drama in the Nineteenth Century. Setting Woyczeck in the context of Szondi’s formal analysis of modern drama, the article argues that Büchner’s treatment of madness casts new light on the formal development of modernist drama and argues that the fact that the play is unfinished is an inevitable consequence of the project itself, given that the formal resolution of the dramatic situation required the existence of conditions which had not at that time come into being.
The legacy of coal mining in the south Wales coalfield: water contamination and remedial options
Historic coal mining and the associated processes have had a detrimental effect on the natural environment in the south Wales coalfield as contaminated mine drainage from abandoned mines discharges into the local hydrological system. The legacy of coal mining includes the discharge of contaminated mine drainage from several abandoned mines and the formation of insoluble iron minerals. This article discusses the underground processes that lead to the formation of contaminated water and iron minerals. Four abandoned coal mines located in the western part of the coal field and the remediation systems operational at these sites were investigated. Contaminated mine waters at these sites are being remediated through the removal of iron so that the final concentrations are in line with those recommended by the Water Framework Directive.
Music for the Memory: The effects of the Singing for the Brain project on memory and the quality of life of pe...
The purpose of this article is to determine the benefits of singing in a group on people who have dementia, specifically through the ‘Singing for the Brain’ sessions held in North Wales during 2012–13 by the Alzheimer’s Association. Previous research of group singing in the field of music and dementia will be discussed as well as looking at how ‘Singing for the Brain’ first started in Britain. The article will then focus on the fieldwork that was undertaken, presenting conclusions, and finally dealing with and evaluating these conclusions.
'The Light shall Return': Music and dementia in Wales
This article focuses on the effects of music on sufferers of dementia as a means of communicating through familiar songs within a Welsh context. The fieldwork is based on the author’s experience singing to the accompaniment of the Celtic harp at an assessment unit for dementia and at resident homes for the elderly on the Llŷn Peninsula during the Summer of 2010 and presents insights gained from observing patients recalling familiar songs when conversation was difficult. On this basis, the article examines the way in which music can assist patients who suffer from this condition, describing and analysing the results.
Building Wales's bridges, Ben Barr (2008)
The paper reports on three epochs of bridge building in Wales. The first period, from Roman times to the start of the Industrial Revolution, was dominated by the use of local materials (stone and timber) by local craftsmen. The second period was an integral part of the Industrial Revolution when new bridge building materials (cast iron, wrought iron and steel) were developed and used in the construction of canal and railway bridges. The third period was associated with the growth of traffic following World War II when concrete and steel became the dominant bridge building materials during the development of the trunk roads and motorways. The paper shows, in simple terms, the fundamental structural engineering developments underpinning these developments as new materials became available for bridge building. In particular, the evolvement of various beam cross-sections, tubes and trusses is discussed. Attention is also given to the significant contribution of four world-renowned bridge builders: William Edwards who built the famous arch bridge at Pontypridd; Thomas Telford who built the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and the Menai Suspension Bridge; Robert Stephenson who built tubular bridges at Conway and over the Menai Straits and I. K. Brunel who built the unique Chepstow Railway Bridge and the railway timber viaduct at Landore, Swansea. Finally, the paper draws attention to some of the unique bridges of Wales.
Faith’s reaction to modern science
A version of this article appeared originally in The SCM Core Text on World Christianity in the 20th Century, co-authored with Dr Martin Conway (London: SCM Press 2008). Having set the debate between Science and Christianity in its historical context, it explores a range of contemporary scientific questions such as Quantum Theory and Relativity, Cosmology, The discovery of DNA, Genetic Manipulation and Advances in Medical Treatment. The final section examines Roman Catholic responses, Evangelical and fundamentalist approaches and ecumenical responses to some of these key issues. The article concludes by affirming that an engagement between Christian theology and contemporary developments in science is essential if the contemporary articulation of faith is to have meaning and coherence.