Lleisiau Carneddau
Lleisiau’r Carneddau (Carneddau Voices) - created with rich inspiration by students at Ysgol Aberconwy.
The Carneddau is an area of mountains, ffridd, farmland and communities located in the north-eastern corner of Snowdonia National Park. This is an area steeped in mythology, where farming traditions and folkore are handed down through the generations. These shared histories have been a rich source of inspiration for artwork created by a group of students from Ysgol Aberconwy.
We explored oral history recordings and archive materials that included lamentations on the demise of the lapwing, wise words on acclimatising sheep to higher ground, and the superstitions of Nos Calan Gaef (All Hallows’ Eve).
These stories led us to create sketchbooks with pages shaped to echo the curves of coriannau (sheepfolds). Illistruations of nodau clust (sheep ear-markings) developed into decorative collage. Before evolving again to form the scales of the grotesque fish of haunted Llyn Dulyn. Print work was inspired by the animals in the tales of Cwm Cowlyd.
The feminine wisdom of the ancient owl from this tale led us to consider life on the farm from the perspective of the ffermwraig (farm woman). We imagined her capably preparing a te cneifio (sharing tea) for a crowd of hungry farmhands or, as in the account of writer Margaret Roberts, shooing pet lambs from the kitchen table.
