ABERRATION @ NATIONAL LIBRARY OF WALES, ABERYSTWYTH
CYMRAEG >>
!!SOLD OUT!!
Friday 11 July 2025, 6.30pm, £5 (includes drink)
OUT OF THE FRAME: QUEER RESPONSES TO THE EXHIBITION ‘NO WELSH ART’
!!SOLD OUT!! If you have tickets and can't come, email post@llgc.org.uk for refund, in plenty of time. If you don't have tickets, you can join the waiting list on the 'TICKETS' link below.
6.30pm Gather for drinks. 7pm Tour begins in gallery
Join us in this very special tour of the current exhibition in the Gregynog Gallery, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.
On the way artists and writers will take a fresh look at the art through an LGBTQ+ lens. An exciting and creative evening programmed by Aberration.
Artists include Jane Hoy, Abid Hussain, Naomi Pearce, and Tomos Williams, each presenting their own unique take on the art, history and politics of Cymru, among the sumptuous artworks of the ‘No Welsh Art’ exhibition. Plus short queer tales performed by Simon Robson and Elin Haf; and alternative creative captions produced in an Aberration / National Library workshop.
Stories, sounds, performance and visions… all-round 360-degree queer fabulousness, for one night only. Grab your tickets now!
OUT OF THE FRAME: Aberration has asked several talented artists and writers based in Wales to be part of this very special evening on 11 July 2025.
Naomi Pearce (pictured below) is a writer and curator; she is also a Lecturer at Aberystwyth School of Art and has helped to put together this event. For ‘Out of the Frame’ she will be presenting a piece of new writing inspired by one of the artworks in the exhibition, alongside a sculptural intervention created in dialogue with Catrin Webster.
Abid Hussain is an emerging visual artist and a practice based researcher, based in Wales. He went to Aberystwyth University and completed his professional training as a practitioner at the School of Art there. Abid has exhibited at several locations including Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and the British Museum. His work often explores the relationships between bodies and spaces.
Abid writes: “My art practice is a living and breathing organism, that is guiding me in return for providing nourishment and protection. It lingers ‘outside’ or ‘in-between’ the established boundaries of installation, sculpture, painting, film and performance art. Currently I am particularly drawn to examine the relationship between ‘minoritised’ bodies and ‘majoritised’ spaces.”
Tomos Williams will present a new piece especially developed for Out of the Frame. Tomos is a Welsh artist and maker based in Cardiff. Trained as a musician, he has been focussing on his art practice since the early 2000s.
Tomos has made and exhibited relief prints (examples held in the collection of the School of Art, Aberystwyth University), animated text, book works and fabric work. In addition he has performed his writing at Chapter and at the Wales in Venice venue during the Biennale in 2015.
He is currently looking at Welsh quilts and Shetland Lace knitting and developing his ideas about the relationships between stitch and place.
Jane Hoy of Queer Tales from Wales will present stories about the characters beyond the frame of some of the artworks. Brought to life by performers Simon Robson and Elin Haf. And the Ladies of Llangollen will make an appearance in the guise of Jane and her partner Helen Sandler.
Jane is a writer and researcher of short stories and performances about Queer people from Welsh History. She is one of the programmers of Aberration and a latin and ballroom dancer.
Latest update on timings: Doors open at 6.30 pm, with talks starting from 7pm.
Friday 13 June 2025:Queer Lit Quarterly returns to Aberystwyth Arts Centre with four fascinating authors of fiction and non-fiction. Arranged by Gayberystwyth Books and supported by Aberration, this is the LGBTQ+ night for all you book lovers! £8 (inc booking fee)
Each author will read from and talk about their books and take audience questions. You will also have the chance to buy signed copies of the books. An enjoyable evening in the company of fascinating writers and friendly book lovers.
An Extraordinary Female Affection: The Life and Love of the Ladies of Llangollen
*CANCELLED BY VENUE*
Our most thrilling show is our promenade performance as the Ladies of Llangollen in the grounds of Plas Newydd, where the ladies lived 200 years ago! We performed this show in 2024 to a very appreciative audience and now we’re delighted to be back again on 21 June 2025.
3.30pm tea followed by 4 to 5pm (approx) live show.
NOTE: Wear stout shoes and bring a brolly just in case. This event is outside and contains uneven ground and steep sections.
Tickets include afternoon tea. A fabulous day out. Devised and presented by Queer Tales from Wales – Jane Hoy and Helen Sandler. And next day Jane and Helen will run a creative zine-making workshop about the Ladies!
This is part of a week of celebrations of the legacy of the Ladies of Llangollen which also includes a talk by Norena Shopland on 18 June about her unique collection of memorabilia and antiques.
What happens when a stroppy Irish feminist writer falls for a quiet Welsh woman sculptor in Bella Roma?
Find out in this delightful show about Frances Power Cobbe and her ‘wifie’ Mary Charlotte Lloyd of Llanelltyd – and their amazing friends; Ours is the old, old story of every uprising race or class or order.
The work of elevation must be wrought by ourselves or not at all.’ Frances Power Cobbe, The Duties of Women (1882). From the duo who brought you the Ladies of Llangollen: Jane Hoy and Helen Sandler of Queer Tales From Wales
What the audience said about previous shows:
‘Such a treat! Such a polished performance and wonderful script… I feel enriched by having had the opportunity to watch this.’ ‘A deeply moving and funny animation of these inspiring women’s stories. Hope many others have the chance to see/ hear this.’ ‘Forgotten women resurrected – wonderful.’
Friday 11 April 7pm (doors open 6pm), Round Studio, Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Hosted by Gayberystwyth Books and supported by Aberration Cymru, Queer Lit Quarterly brings together writers and readers for a packed evening of readings, discussion and appreciation of LGBTQ+ literature.
Launching in style on 11 April, this first event will star four brilliant authors of fiction and non-fiction: Mike Parker (On the Red Hill), Norena Shopland (Forbidden Lives), JJ Lambert (Found Wanting) and Anthony Shapland (A Room Above a Shop). They will be giving talks, taking questions and signing books! If you love LGBTQ+ books and stories, this is the ultimate event for you.
Director: Ray Yeung Hong Kong (S.A.R of China), 2024, 93′ minutes, Cantonese with English subtitles
Angie and Pat are two women who have shared a life of love and resilience in Hong Kong for over four decades. When Pat suddenly passes away, Angie’s world is upended. Faced with mounting pressure from an unsympathetic extended family, she must navigate her grief and fight to hold on to the home that holds their cherished memories.
With poignant performances by Patra Au Ga Man, Maggie Li Lin Lin, and Tai Bo, ‘All Shall Be Well’ is a tender, heart-wrenching exploration of love, loss, and the quiet strength required to claim one’s place in the world.
This screening is co-hosted by Aberration (LGBTQ+ arts and community events in Aberystwyth). After the film there will be a short panel discussion chaired by Helen Sandler with Fran Jackson and Steph Jones and Q&A – a chance to reflect on the movie and its themes.
We are delighted to bring Aberration back to the magnificent Ceredigion Museum in Aberystwyth with ‘Crossing the Line’, programmed especially for LGBTQ+ History Month.
We’ve put together an amazing evening of stories and film, facts and fabulousness for you all. Programme below. Edrych ymlaen!
Aberration presentsCrossing The Line
An evening for LGBTQ+ History Month, Friday 28 February, Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth. Doors open 6.30pm, starts 7pm. Tickets: £8 early bird (plus booking fee) or £10 on the door.
Aberration will be taking a journey around Ceredigion and beyond, including queer and trans Celtic history and mythology and some of the characters and events on our Ceredigion LGBTQ+ timeline. We are also proud to be hosting the Wales launch of a new book, 3000 Lesbians Go to York, about a much-loved national arts festival. The evening ends with a new film celebrating Aberration’s own contribution to Welsh LBGTQ+ culture and arts over more than ten years.
PROGRAMME
6.30 Doors open: Come and have a look at the Ceredigion Timeline and add your stories.
RAFFLE: Bring cash for raffle tickets in aid of All Out – lots of great prizes from local businesses and friends of Aberration including Bottle & Barrel, Medina cafe-bar, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, and our authors!
7pm Welcome from your Aberration hosts, Helen Sandler, Jane Hoy and Ruth Fowler
Cheryl Morgan: In Search of Trans Celts
Cheryl will look at evidence from archaeology, Roman writers, and Arthurian legend, to see what we can tell about how our ancestors saw gender.
7.30pm Queering the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi: power, resistance, and desire
This talk by Colin Audigé-Soutter, based on his MA thesis, illuminates the potential queer undercurrents pulsing through one of Celtic literature’s most enigmatic narratives.
8pm INTERVAL Refreshments and Bar, Raffle for All Out with amazing prizes, and another opportunity to add your story to the Ceredigion Timeline.
8.30 The Ceredigion Timeline: an interactive journey
Jane (L) and Norena
Norena Shopland describes the background to the Timeline – a project to record the LGBTQ+ history of every county in Cymru. Jane Hoy introduces some of Ceredigion’s queer characters and events, with friends of Aberration reading their words.
9pm 3000 Lesbians Go To York
Jane Traies will launch her lavishly illustrated new book, 3000 Lesbians Go to York (Tollington, 2025) about the arts festivals that drew massive crowds in the Noughties. Aberration’s own Helen Sandler, publisher of the book, will introduce Jane’s talk about the legendary weekender.
9.30 Aberration: a celebration
FILM PREMIERE! Ruth, Helen and Jane of Aberration will screen Amy Daniel’s new short film about Aberration’s fabulous first decade.
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?
Saturday 3 August 3.30pm Plas Newydd, Llangollen: Queer Tales from Wales present ‘An Extraordinary Female Affection: The life and love of the Ladies of Llangollen’. An entertaining promenade performance in the grounds of the very house where the ladies lived two hundred years ago. Performed in English.
Tickets are £22.50 (plus booking fee), to include tea and cake with the Ladies and entry to the House during the day.
Perfformiad chwareus lle mae Sarah Ponsonby ac Eleanor Butler yn mynd â chi ar daith o diroedd eu cartref, Plas Newydd. Atgynhyrchiad bywiog o’u 50 mlynedd gyda’i gilydd, gyda help y gynulleidfa, gwartheg anwes, hel straeon enllibus ac ymweliadau gan ferched sy’n eu hedmygu, gan gynnwys Anne Lister. Wedi’i gyflwyno gan Jane Hoy a Helen Sandler mewn hetiau befar.
Pris tocynnau yw £22.50, gan gynnwys te a chacen gyda’r Merched a mynediad i’r Tŷ yn ystod y dydd.
A playful promenade performance in which Sarah Ponsonby and Eleanor Butler take you on a tour of the grounds of their home Plas Newydd. A lively re-imagining of their 50 years together helped along by the audience, pet cows, scurrilous gossip and visits from their women admirers including Anne Lister. Presented by Jane Hoy and Helen Sandler in beaver hats.
Tickets are £22.50, to include tea and cake with the Ladies and entry to the House during the day.
