Aberration returns to the Bank Vault bar in Aberystwyth on the evening of Thursday 14 November. Doors 6pm, onstage 7pm. £6 on the door (cash / card / phone)
Kaan K will perform spoken word from their brilliant collectionIf I Were Erol(published by Fourteen Poems) AND a brand new book just out (see below)! We are delighted that Kaan, who had a short slot at last year’s talent night, will tonight take you on a journey through their moving work. Books available to buy on the night, with author signings.
Sharing the stage is Aitch, the comedian alter ego of your regular host Helen Sandler. Aitch will perform new material especially written for tonight. She’s even been on a course!
A magical queer night! Drinks available from the well-stocked bar including a range of craft beers. No pressure to drink alcohol, as there are lots of great soft drinks on sale too. Please support our friendly venue.
KAAN’S FIRST FULL-LENGTH POETRY COLLECTION
Rosewater
Raw, sexy, vulnerable and challenging, Rosewater asks what it means to embody a border.
‘The land isn’t binary and neither am I’ Kaan K dives deep into their Cypriot heritage, pondering their connection to an island with the world’s only divided capital city. They reflect on the divisions in their personal life – cultural, spiritual, sexual.
Rosewater is a homage to trans tenderness, a cry for connection and a search for hope, joy and change. Follow Kaan on Instagram @dream.with.kaan
AITCH’S FIRST PROPER COMEDY OUTING
Tales of the Village
Come with Aitch on a journey. Around the village and back. Perhaps she’ll get a nice little part-time job along the way. What could possibly go wrong?
ENGLISH: New performances mark the centenary of Edward Prosser Rhys winning the 1924 Eisteddfod Crown – and the backlash against his poem, ‘Atgof’, which depicted desire for both women and men.
Tickets
TICKETS from Aberystwyth Arts Centre here >> Discount if you select ‘Aberration Member’ from price list, after choosing your seats. Yes, if you are reading this you are an honorary Aberration member!
10% off food in cafe with your ticket. Special 1920s-themed martinis and gins in bar.
Programme
The evening will be presented in two parts (with interval) and across two spaces:
6.30pm to 7.30pm Great Hall – The Land of Might Have Been
Presented by Aberration, the Mid Wales LGBTQ+ arts company. Come with us through the portal into the mysterious Land of Might Have Been. It’s the 1920s: a time of inverts and androgyny, flirtation and endless possibilities. What wisdom might our queer Welsh ancestors have passed on to Edward Prosser Rhys and his intimate circle of friends? The answers wing in through words, music and a touch of star-gazing. Performed mainly in English
Cast: Colin Audigé-Soutter, Jane Hoy, Simon Robson, Helen Sandler Musician: Ruth Gordon Butler: Ruth Fowler Design & Production: Jenny Pearce Written, researched & directed by Jane Hoy with Helen Sandler
Diolch yn fawr: Becky Mitchell (TFTS), Mike Parker, Music Theatre Wales, Music @ Aber, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wynnstay Machynlleth
8pm to 9pm Theatr y Werin – Bwystfilod Aflan / Unclean Beasts
Presented by Music Theatre Wales,Bwystfilod Aflan / Unclean Beastschallenges societal norms through music, dance and film, spotlighting the clash between tradition and the need for change. Eddie Ladd offers her own interpretation of the original poem through movement, followed by a new operatic monologue by Conor Mitchell, performed by tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas. Created and directed by Jac Ifan Moore, this is a National Eisteddfod commission with Music Theatre Wales and Aberystwyth University Music Centre, performed with Sinfonia Cymru.
Insights into the exhibition ‘For the Curious and Interested’
Friday 26 July 6pm to 8.30pm (doors open 5.45pm) £5 at Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum, Terrace Road, Aberystwyth SY23 2AQ
with Rose Thorn and Abid Hussain
Installation view
Come with us behind the scenes at the museum! This exhibition asks questions about historic objects. We will see the brilliant creative and artistic responses from Voices from the Edge. And we will talk about what people of colour and/or LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer) people have in common, in museums and galleries where our very existence has been hidden, skewed or exploited for hundreds of years.
Entry:£5 per person. It would help us if you could reserve your place/s in advance from Aberration (not the museum!). Just send an email to aberrationcymru@gmail.com with the subject line 'Exhibition' and the number of people. We will add you to the list and take payment on the door (cash or card). There are also likely to be places available on the night.
Exhibition visit + museum takeover!
Aberration (the LGBTQ+ arts strand) is delighted to host this evening visit to the exhibition ‘For the Curious and Interested’ at Ceredigion Museum, in the centre of Aberystwyth. Yes, we will take over the museum for one night only!
A unique feature of this exhibition is the presence of the responses of Voices from the Edge – a group of creatives from the global majority in Mid and West Wales. They have responded artistically to a selection of artefacts from the collection of Sir Hans Sloane, which were used to found the British Museum in 1753. The contributors vividly express themes of globalisation, ‘being silenced’ and ‘not being heard’, which resonate strongly through the exhibition.
Rose Thorn sewing ‘Wake’‘My Voice is Not Working’ by Abid Hussain
When looking at museum objects and artworks gathered from around the world during a period of colonial expansion and transatlantic slavery, how do we respond?
Rose Thorn and Abid Hussain (from the Voices from the Edge group) will guide us in their process of co-curating and working with a powerful organisation; a unique opportunity to explore the intersections of being from the global majority and LGBTQI+ communities.
Ceredigion Museum Auditorium – former music hall / cinema
We will have exclusive use of the space where you will be able to visit the exhibition in the gallery at the start of the evening. We will then move into the main auditorium for talks and films and to share our responses with each other and the artists. An opportunity to reflect on and respond to these many layered issues and consider the implications for today’s world.
About our guides
Rose Thorn has worked in many roles as a community artist, project coordinator and performer within health, education and voluntary settings; she is passionate about the therapeutic uses of the arts with people who often feel disempowered. She is a Playback Theatre performer and trainer, which honours community stories by instantly ‘playing-back’ what the audience shares. Her interest in the body, breath and mind continues with teaching local yoga classes and facilitating well-being retreats.
Abid Hussain is an emerging artist, based in Wales. “I perceive my art practice as a living and breathing organism which is guiding me in return for nourishment and protection. It lingers ‘outside’ or ‘in-between’ the established boundaries of Sculpture, Performance, Installation and other disciplines.”
About the venue
Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum is in the old Coliseum Theatre not far from the seafront on Terrace Road in Aberystwyth (next to big Boots!). There are lifts and wheelchair access to the upstairs rooms we are using, and disabled toilets.
Aberration and its partners welcome all open-minded folk to this special evening. If you are from the global majority and/or LGBTQ+ community, or if you are just interested to hear these perspectives first-hand, do come along! Reserve your place by emailing Aberration: aberrationcymru@gmail.com(See grey box above for full entry info.)
Also of interest
Aberration is part of another great event the following day: ‘Peace of Writing‘ on Saturday 27 July. Inspired by the Welsh Women’s Peace Appeal and petition of 1923/24, this fascinating writing workshop takes place up the hill at the National Library of Wales, from 11am to 3pm. Led by Norena Shopland and Jane Hoy, and organised by Academi Heddwch. Find out more about the writing workshop >>
Saturday 27 July 11am to 3pm Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth: Creative writing workshop hosted by Sian Howys of Academi Heddwch Cymru, with historian Norena Shopland and Aberration’s own Jane Hoy, inspired by the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition of 1923-24. Scroll down for details and booking link.
You may have heard of the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition, which was signed by nearly 400,000 women from across the country, sent in a huge chest to the USA a century ago; and has recently returned to Cymru. But who were the women who signed this petition? We will hear the stories behind some of these women, and have the opportunity to write our own stories, poems or other writing in response to their lives.
Images of some of the women who signed, provided by their relatives
Details
Welsh Women’s Peace Appeal 1923/24 Peace of Writing Creative Workshop – free of charge!
Education Room, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth Saturday July 27 11 am – 3 pm
Refreshments: Tea and coffee will be provided and Pendinas cafe will be open for light refreshments.
With Norena Shopland (Women and LGBTQ+ Historian) and Jane Hoy (Queer Tales from Wales and Aberration). You will be guided to produce short pieces of creative writing – poems, stories or other – inspired by the hidden histories of the women who signed the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition 1923/24.
M.G. (Gladys) Thomas; Mary Elizabeth Ellis; Annie Jane Hughes-Griffiths; Elined Prys (Gwefan Llyfrgell Genedlaethol / National Library of Wales website)
You can present your work in Welsh or English. With your permission, the Petitioning Peace project would like to consider including any finalised pieces within the project’s collection of creative work.
To receive further information about the workshop and to book your free place please email: post@academiheddwch.cymru
Friday 26 July 6pm Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum Exhibition visit, artist talks, film and discussion around the exhibition ‘For the Curious and Interested’, led by Voices from the Edge. With Rose Thorn and Abid Hussain. Read more >>
and the next day… Saturday 27 July 11am to 3pm Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / National Library of Wales ‘Peace of Writing’ – Creative writing workshop led by historian Norena Shopland and our own Jane Hoy, inspired by the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition of 1923-24. Details >>
Friday 16 August Aberystwyth South Beach Picnic after work – bring your own food and drink to this fun social event. Don’t forget a rug or folding chair to sit on too.
September: We’re taking a break – no event.
Wed 16 October Aberystwyth Arts Centre A new operetta marks the centenary of Edward Prosser Rhys winning the Crown at the National Eisteddfod with his poem ‘Atgof’. And Aberration will host an intervention that turns a queer gaze on the poet and his circle.
Thurs 14 November Surprise event at Bank Vault!
Details of all above events to be announced soon on our website and socials!
www.aberration.org.uk @aberrationcymru
SPONSOR
We are grateful to Prifysgol Aberystwyth University for financial support for Aberration.
[PAST EVENT] Thursday 20 June 2024: Aberration presents queer folk duo Lucy and Hazel, with special guest Cerys Hafana, at Bank Vault, Aberystwyth – 6pm doors for 7pm start
A wonderful evening of inspiring music! Lucy and Hazel combine a love of groove, soulful raw harmonies and passionate songwriting to bring you hope and rage in these strange times. Mid Wales’ own Cerys Hafana will open the night with spellbinding tunes that blend innovation with tradition. Come on down! Edrych ymlaen!
Entry: £7 full price / £5 for concessions. Pay on the door.
Lucy and Hazel
Sheffield-based duo Lucy and Hazel write songs on feminism, politics, climate, land rights, swamp monsters, lawns and anything that gets their goat. Playing guitar, uke, melodeon, clarinet and blending voices in harmony, they draw influences from multiple musical traditions from Europe, and the comings and goings of Hazel’s brain.
Two of the Aberration team met Lucy Huzzard and Hazel Thompson when they were visiting Mid Wales – and when they sang harmonies in the back of our car we immediately invited them to play Aberration. We were delighted when they said a big YES! We can’t wait for you to hear them!
‘Surely the queens of the new tribe of British folk emerging from the radical activist left. Folk music just got very exciting.’ Sam Lee, singer
‘Poignant and witty, Lucy & Hazel will make you laugh and cry. Absolutely brilliant!’ Tamsin Elliott, musician (Solana)
Don’t miss this special performance. With inspirations spanning from Joni Mitchell and Ivor Cutler, to stories of resistance, Lucy and Hazel are a powerful and entertaining duo.
Cerys Hafana is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who mangles, mutates, and transforms traditional music. She explores the creative possibilities and unique qualities of the triple harp, and is also interested in found sounds, archival materials and electronic processing. Cerys comes from Machynlleth, where rivers and roads meet on the way to the sea.
Edyf is her second album, released in 2022, and was selected as one of The Guardian’s Top Ten folk albums of 2022. In January 2023, Cerys was also featured on Cerys Matthews’ BBC 6 Music ‘Highlights of 2022’ New Year show.
‘Mae gan Cerys Hafana amser: amser i fynegi ei syniadau trwy gyfrwng ei hofferyn, amser i greu awyrgylch, amser i ddilyn ei dychymyg, ond yn bwysicach na hyn oll, amser i wneud i’r gerddoriaeth anadlu.’ Tomos Williams, O’r Pedwar Gwynt
‘Hafana explores resonances from the past that connect with the modern day in a contemporary, creative way. On her second album, Edyf (meaning “thread”) she uses her harp as a percussive, jagged-toothed tool… Hafana also sings movingly, her high voice like an indie-pop soprano shorn of its sweetness.’ Jude Rogers, Folk Album of the Month, The Guardian
Aberration is a series of exciting events with an LGBTQ+ theme. We aim for a friendly community space. Everyone is welcome, including open-minded straight friends and allies of course. Events are very much trans-inclusive as well as highlighting gay, bi and lesbian lives and culture. All under one rainbow! Your friendly hosts are Jane Hoy, Ruth Fowler and Helen Sandler.
The venue is the Bank Vault bar at 1 New Street, Aberystwyth SY23 2AT. A supportive venue where we are made very welcome. Please buy drinks to return the support! There is a range of craft beers, ciders, wine, spirits and soft drinks on offer.
We are grateful to Prifysgol Aberystwyth University for financial support for Aberration.
Aberration presents GAY! Gardeners’ Question Time at Bank Vault Bar, Aberystwyth on Thursday 25 April at 7pm. Doors open 6pm. Suggested payment on the door: £7 / £5 (but no one turned away for lack of funds, see below).
We bring you our very own Aberration tribute to the long-running Radio 4 show Gardeners’ Question Time – with a queer twist! Our panel are three highly knowledgeable local gardeners, who also have a sense of fun. They are ready and willing to answer your questions about your own gardening, as well as telling us why they love getting down in the dirt. Whether you have a garden, an allotment, or just a straggly houseplant, you will enjoy this very special evening, which adds an LGBTQ+ slant to the world of horticulture. And non-gardeners are of course very welcome!
Questions
It would be great if you could email questions to aberrationcymru@gmail.com in advance, but there is also the option to bring them on the night. The panel will answer a selection.
The Panel
Alys Fowler is a well-known horticulturist who lives in Aberystwyth. A former presenter of Gardeners’ World on BBC2, Alys writes a regular column for the Guardian. Her popular books include The Thrifty Gardener, The Edible Garden (to accompany her TV series of the same name), and Hidden Nature. Alys is a regular attendee at Aberration and we are delighted that she will be chairing our “Gay Gardeners’ Question Time” panel. (Photo: Francesca Jones / Guardian)
Colin Audigé-Soutter (otherwise known as the gay gardener) is a self-taught gardener and landscaper working in and around the Dyfi Valley. He is happiest with a pair of secateurs in his hand and his head in a bush! Colin is originally from Conwy and was given his first plant, a Venus Flytrap, at the age of six. He learnt how to keep cacti and orchids from his grandmother in his teens. Since moving to Machynlleth in 2018, he has started the Houseplant Hospice and Cacti Against Covid; as well as working on market gardens and with the Mach Vegbox scheme, which supplies seasonal local produce. Since 2020 Colin has been running his own garden maintenance and landscaping business in the area.
Preds Tomos has been gardening in the Dyfi Valley all his life, first at his parents’ farm and subsequently in Machynlleth. For the past 13 years he has tended the garden of the old house near Darowen where he lives with his partner Mike. This special place was inherited from their dear old friends Reg and George, who were together more than 60 years. Preds’ sense of place – and of being the custodian of the land – drives all of his planting and design ideas, and inspires much of his artwork too.
Contributions
After a run of subsidised, free Aberration events at the Bank Vault, we now need to start asking for your contributions to cover costs, including paying our speakers and artists. Please contribute on the door if you can afford it. Suggested payments: £7 waged, £5 concession / low waged. Cards or cash accepted. If you don’t have funds right now, just say ‘Not today thank you’ on the door!
AllOut
Aberration will still collect for our favourite campaign, All Out, by passing the bucket round, so please bring cash to donate if you can. Or you can give to AllOut direct on their website >>
The All Out movement works with activists around the world to mobilise efforts to shut down hateful bigots, change anti-LGBT+ laws, and provide life-saving support to LGBT+ people facing emergencies.
Venue
Bank Vault is a lovely bar where we are made very welcome. They serve a fantastic range of craft beers, ciders, wine, and soft drinks. Please support them by buying drinks.
Ethos
This is a friendly LGBTQIA+ themed night, and all open-minded folk are welcome. Trans and non-binary people are of course very much part of our rainbow at Aberration. And just to be clear, straight allies are welcome too!
Sponsor
Aberration is grateful to Prifysgol Aberystwyth University for its generous support. Diolch yn fawr.
For LGBTQ+ History Month UK, Aberration presents ‘Double Lives’ – an evening of talks and live performances. Plus afternoon tea party about Section 28 [sold out], and a chance to eat together in the cafe between events.
5.30pm Dinner break
Eat together in the Arts Centre Café. Pay as you go – just turn up!
Performance Studio (Round Room) Aberystwyth Arts Centre 7pm to 10pm £10 / £8
**WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN / SOLD OUT!**
Our evening of lively talks and performances includes the groundbreaking writer-performer Tom Marshman (pictured) who returns to Aberration to present painful, beautiful and hilarious anecdotes from his new theatre piece about Section 28, ‘The Show of Shows’.
Jane Hoy (left) and Norena Shopland are collaborating to present a new performance piece about the life of Katherine Philips, the 17C Anglo-Welsh poet and translator also known as the Welsh Sappho and the Matchless Orinda (and now our poster girl for Double Lives – see top image).
Alis Hawkins, author of A Bitter Remedy – a new historical crime novel with a feisty Welsh heroine and a queer twist – will be in conversation with host Helen Sandler.
Alessandro Ceccarelli presents an illustrated talk on ‘Queering Archaeology and Heritage: a visual story of desire, love and identities from prehistory to modern day through Welsh collections.’
+ surprise guest just announced! The fabulous Rhys Slade-Jones@boparhys
PLUS: Bookstall from Gayberystwyth Books, and raffle for AllOut.
Join us at the Bank Vault bar in Aberystwyth on Thursday 14 December for our Seasonal Social! Doors open 6pm. Games, reindeer, karaoke, stories and socialising! Join in as much or as little as you like. Bring friends or come alone.
Whether you love this time of year or prefer to ignore that it’s C—mas, there will be something jolly for you… possibly in a stocking.
Come along and enjoy a relaxed evening together in a festive atmosphere. Free! All LGBTQIA+ people & friends are welcome.
Bank Vault is a gorgeous venue that kindly welcomes Aberration without charge, so please support this lovely intimate bar in return by buying lots of drinks! They are well stocked including superb craft beers and soft drinks.
SPONSOR
Aberration is generously supported by Aberystwyth University.
We are thrilled to welcome Aim King to Aberration at the Bank Vault – intimate bar venue in Aberystwyth. Doors 6pm, onstage around 7pm. Host Helen Sandler. Free Entry. Donations to All Out.
Prepare to be bathed in sound, as haunting new voice Aim King performs original spoken word over live beats from their new band. A unique evening!
Aim writes amazing lyrics that wash over you and evoke visions and emotions – unique but with an affinity with artists such as Arlo Parks or Kae Tempest, or going back in time Massive Attack and Tricky. You can have a listen to the stunning Liminal album here: https://aimking.bandcamp.com/album/liminal-l
Aim King is an ecologist, filmmaker, and poet, who grew up in London and is currently undertaking a practice-based PhD at Aberystwyth University. Through writing, they are interested in drawing together threads of inner and outer worlds, in accessing the collective heart-mind, and in making transitory feelings tangible. This year they released a spoken word album, entitled liminal(l), which explores the in-betweenness we exist within.
Bank Vault is a gorgeous venue that kindly welcomes Aberration without charge, so please support this lovely intimate bar in return by buying lots of drinks! They are well stocked including superb craft beers. Also please bring cash for donations to AllOut, the international campaigning charity that channels funds direct to LGBTQ+ projects at grassroots level.
Aberration is generously supported by Aberystwyth University.