Recordings by Vicky. Wednesday, 09 July 2025

Seventeen questions were asked about the community's perception of their needs, fifteen years into the future. The questions were posed by Vicky, now a professional actor and formerly a member of the Manics, recordings heard over headphones. A chime separated workshop questions, transitioning across themes. Also recorded were examples of desirable future policies from various public agencies, setting the themes of the workshop discussions. Academics worked with the Better Bonymaen team to circulate 1500 specially designed postcards, placing the posters with prominent organisations.

Glenn also created four ‘soundscape’ recordings to immerse workshop participants in locations across different areas of Bonymean at various times of day. Each conveyed a different social texture and sense of place, separating groups of audio questions. This and other experimental approaches helped conversations flow between different areas of concern.

Below is an email announcing the workshops, inviting textual contributions from organisations:

Summer Workshops for 8 participants - Supporting a Better Bonymaen 2025.

By Dr Chris Groves and Artist Glenn Davidson Co Director Better Bonymaen.

Context:

Artstation and BBCIC will be working with University of Swansea researchers, conducting four to five workshops during this summer to examine different aspects of life in Bonymaen and to look into the future, exploring how to make Bonymaen better.

The research is divided into themed areas of interest:

•      Law

•       Housing

•       Green Spaces

•       Food and Growing

•       Energy   

Request:

On the theme:  XXXXX - XXXX are recognised for their role and expertise as an organisation.

• We request 50 words from you to be spoken and recorded by an actor, plus a slightly extended 100 words as a text for print.

• The Statement should identify trends or recent developments in Welsh Government Policy or generally across Wales
  that open up the possibility of transformative change in relation to food and growing.

Schedule:

Our programme aims to start next month so if you could send your contribution within the next few days, all material will be credited, and any edits or refinements for recordings we would naturally check with yourselves.

Funded by the University of Swansea AHRC Impact Funding. 

Thanks,

A full exposition of research findings will be presented by Chris, Glenn and team at Cefn Hengoed School, Bonymaen, in November 2025.

The method was deemed successful, and the university hopes to utilise this approach again in future work.