Cardiff & Vale Health Charity’s Arts for Health and Wellbeing Team were delighted to commission artist Haf Weighton to work with pupils at local school Ysgol Bro Morgannwg on an art project entitled ‘There’s more to Barry’ which explored the rich history of Barry Town.
Partners for the project included the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Menter Bro Morgannwg – an organisation engaged in developing Welsh language opportunities in the Vale, and the Royston Smith Herbarium through National Museum Wales.
Sessions with GCSE pupils from the school began pre-lockdown in February 2020, and consisted of a number of interlocking themes focussing on Barry’s history and also Barry as a centre for wellbeing.
Pupils designed postcards related to Bar’s Seaside as a popular holiday destination, it’s old buildings within the town centre, and also Barry Docks. Pupils also created concertina sketchbooks and original artworks related to the Royston Smith Herbarium; a fascinating resident of Barry, Royston Smith discovered unusual flora in Barry Docks, which had been transported to Wales via shipping lanes from far-flung places, and collected, researched and documented the flora’s medicinal properties.
Cardiff & Vale Health Charity Arts for Health and Wellbeing Team is delighted to be able to display some of the beautiful work created by pupils in collaboration with Haf Weighton at Barry Hospital.
Haf said: “As someone who grew up in Cardiff, I knew Barry for its Island, but was unaware of the other highlights of the town – until I spent a few weeks in 2019 drawing and sketching Barry in preparation for the large stitched piece that currently hangs in the Mary Lennox Room at Barry Hospital.
“I’ve learnt more about the history of the town of Barry and have enjoyed passing my knowledge to pupils from Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg when I ran workshops there in 2020 as part of my role as Lead Artist for the Barry hospital 25th anniversary celebrations.
“The school project encouraged the pupils to reflect back at the history of Barry. I wanted the students to start the project reflecting on the link between art and health. Linking in with my own experience of recovering from pneumonia in 2018, and how I used my art practice to help me recover.
“This has become very appropriate in this pandemic. The school is keen to continue the project and widen its scope to also working with older pupils and reflecting on the use of art to help boost the young people’s confidence and wellbeing in the midst of the Covid – 19 pandemic.’
One of the pupils from Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg who took part in this project said: “I was inspired by visiting artist Haf Weighton’s drawings of buildings in the folding sketch books and the large colourful painted scenes on stretched canvases.
“The folding book images particularly interested me as when opened, they created a wonderful, elongated street scene.
“The workshop inspired the development of my own work. I have discovered, I am really good at drawing buildings. The folding books, add an extra, exciting, element, creating a new way of working and producing unusual interesting panoramic, artworks. “
Mrs Griffiths, Head of Art at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg said: “As I explained to the year 10’s, there once was a time when we relied on 10 pence pieces and red phone boxes to call our parents to collect us from town… no one had mobiles back then.
“The use of postcards revisited a pre-digital time when an instant message written on a postcard took over a week to arrive and were so wonderful to receive.
“The project educated the younger people about ways in which people kept in touch in past times and helped them reflect on the rich history of the town of Barry, where their school is situated.”
The art created as part of this project is displayed on the walls of the main corridor of Barry Hospital.
Roedd yn bleser gan Dîm Iechyd a Lles Elusen Iechyd Caerdydd a’r Fro gomisiynu’r artist Haf Weighton i weithio gyda disgyblion yr ysgol leol, Ysgol Bro Morgannwg ar brosiect celf o dan y teitl ‘Mae mwy i’r Barri’ a oedd yn archwilio hanes cyfoethog tref y Barri.
Roedd partneriaid y prosiect yn cynnwys Cyngor Bro Morgannwg, Menter Bro Morgannwg – sefydliad sy’n datblygu cyfleodd o ran y Gymraeg yn y Fro, a Herbariwm Royston Smith trwy Amgueddfa Cymru.
Dechreuodd y sesiynau gyda disgyblion TGAU yr ysgol cyn y cyfnod clo ym mis Chwefror 2020, ac roeddent yn cynnwys nifer o themâu cysylltiedig a oedd yn canolbwyntio ar hanes y Barri yn ogystal â’r Barri fel canolfan lles.
Gwnaeth y disgyblion ddylunio cardiau post a oedd yn ymwneud ag ardal glan môr y Barri fel cyrchfan wyliau boblogaidd, ei hen adeiladau yng nghanol y dref, yn ogystal â Dociau’r Barri. Yn ogystal, creodd y disgyblion lyfrau brasluniau consertina a gwaith celf gwreiddiol a oedd yn ymwneud â Herbariwm Royston Smith; preswylydd hynod o ddifyr o’r Barri. Canfu Royston Smith fflora anghyffredin yn Nociau’r Barri, a oedd wedi’i gludo i Gymru trwy lwybrau llongau o leoedd pellennig, ac fe fu’n casglu, ymchwilio ac yn dogfennu nodweddion meddyginiaethol y fflora.
Mae Tîm Iechyd a Lles Elusen Iechyd Caerdydd a’r Fro wrth eu boddau i gael arddangos rhywfaint o’r gwaith hyfryd a grëwyd gan y disgyblion mewn cydweithrediad â Haf Weighton yn Ysbyty’r Barri.
Dywedodd Haf: “Fel rhywun a gafodd ei magu yng Nghaerdydd, roeddwn yn gyfarwydd ag Ynys y Barri, ond nid oeddwn yn ymwybodol o uchafbwyntiau eraill y dref – hyd nes i mi dreulio ychydig wythnosau yn 2019 yn darlunio ac yn braslunio’r Barri fel rhan o’r gwaith paratoi ar gyfer y darn mawr wedi’i bwytho sy’n hongian ar hyn o bryd yn Ystafell Mary Lennox yn Ysbyty’r Barri.
“Rwyf wedi dysgu mwy am hanes tref y Barri ac wedi mwynhau rhannu fy ngwybodaeth gyda disgyblion Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg pan wnes i gynnal gweithdai yno yn 2020 fel rhan o’m rôl fel Artist Arweiniol ar gyfer dathliadau pen-blwydd ysbyty’r Barri yn 25 oed.
“Gwnaeth y prosiect ysgol annog y disgyblion i fyfyrio ar hanes y Barri. “Roeddwn am i’r myfyrwyr ddechrau’r prosiect drwy fyfyrio ar y cyswllt rhwng celf ac iechyd. Roeddwn i eisiau cysylltu â fy mhrofiad fy hun o wella ar ôl niwmonia yn 2018, a sut y gwnes i ddefnyddio fy ngwaith celf i fi helpu wrth adfer.
“Mae hyn wedi dod yn addas iawn yn ystod y pandemig. Mae’r ysgol yn awyddus i barhau gyda’r prosiect ac ehangu ei gwmpas i gynnwys gweithio gyda disgyblion hŷn a myfyrio ar y defnydd o gelf i helpu rhoi hwb i hyder a lles pobl ifanc yng nghanol pandemig Covid-19.’
Dywedodd un o’r disgyblion o Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg a gymerodd ran yn y prosiect: “Cefais fy ysbrydoli ar ôl gweld darluniau’r artist Haf Weighton o adeiladau yn y llyfrau braslunio plyg, a’r golygfeydd lliwgar wedi’u paentio ar gynfasau wedi’u hymestyn.
“Roedd y lluniau yn y llyfr plyg o ddiddordeb arbennig i mi oherwydd wrth agor, roeddent yn creu golygfa hyfryd o stryd estynedig.
“Gwnaeth y gweithdy ysbrydoli datblygiad fy ngwaith fy hun. Rwyf wedi darganfod fy mod yn dda iawn yn darlunio adeiladau. Mae’r llyfrau plyg yn ychwanegu elfen gyffrous arall, sy’n creu ffordd newydd o weithio gan greu gwaith celf panoramig diddorol ac anarferol.”
Dywedodd Mrs Griffiths, Pennaeth Celf Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg: “Fel yr eglurais wrth ddisgyblion blwyddyn 10, roedden ni’n arfer dibynnu ar ddarnau 10 ceiniog a blychau ffôn coch i ffonio ein rhieni i’n casglu o’r dref… nid oedd gan unrhyw un ffonau symudol bryd hynny.
“Roedd y defnydd o gardiau post yn ailedrych ar adeg cyn technoleg ddigidol, pan fyddai neges uniongyrchol a ysgrifennwyd ar gerdyn post yn cymryd dros wythnos i gyrraedd ac y byddai mor hyfryd i’w dderbyn.
“Gwnaeth y prosiect addysgu’r ieuenctid am y ffyrdd yr oedd pobl yn cadw mewn cysylltiad yn yr hen ddyddiau, gan eu helpu i fyfyrio ar hanes cyfoethog tref y Barri, ble y lleolir eu hysgol.”
Mae’r gwaith celf a grëwyd yn rhan o’r prosiect yn cael ei arddangos ar waliau prif goridor Ysbyty’r Barri