New Light On Bridgend

Bridgend Town Centre, Wednesday 17th December 2008

The event will start 4:30pm with a lantern procession involving young people from across the borough headed up by the Coytrahean Mari Lwyd group  

Lantern Procession

The procession will set off from the Civic Office and will take a route over the new bridge and follow a planned route through town centre stopping off at the various shops (list below) that have contributed prizes towards the 'Textmas Competition'. Each shop will contribute a lantern to the procession at each stop off. The procession will end in front of the Graham Paul building (Dunraven Place) where the tradition of the Mari Lwyd will be reinterpreted for a youth audience. The Mari Lwyd tradition involves carrying a decorated horses skull that signifies saying goodbye to the past/dead and welcoming the future. Traditionally there is a type of rap that occurs in Welsh between the procession bearers and those that they encounter. This 'rap' or 'Pwnco' will be modernised just for this occasion by involving some modern day Welsh language rapping between a group of young people and the Coytrahean Mari Lwyd society.

In affect all of this acts as an introduction to the main bulk of the event that will not only take place in front of the Graham Paul building on a small stage, but will actually involve the building's architecture as a crucial aspect of the event as large scale audio visual content (created with members of the community) will be projected on the building interwoven with live performances including acoustic music by Phil James (local singer song writer), Dog Day Life (local group), All For The Fall (winners of the Gathering battle of the bands '08), drama (axtracts from established Welsh writer Gary Owen's 'Voices of Wales'---supported by Bridgend Libraries) & Bridgend Male Voice Choir (TBC by Fri).

The over arching theme for the event is 'Celebrating the Characters & Cultures of our Communities during the Christmas Season'.

The live activities in front of the Graham Paul building will cease at 7:30pm, but the projections will continue in the form of static images from local artists as a type of outdoor gallery.

At 7:30pm the lantern procession and Phil James (with his acoustic guitar) will lead the public to Bridges Coffee Shop for carol singing, mulled wine and mince pies.

NB Other interesting aspects of the wider NewLight project will include art work collated through the weeks of workshops with the community will be displayed from the morning of the 17th of December right through to January the 1st 2009 in shop windows around the town centre (list of businesses involved below).

Also, all of the entries through the Textmas Competition and all of the workshops will be sealed in a Time Capsule that will be hidden in the architecture of one of the buildings being regenerated in the Dunraven area. This aspect of the project will be coordinated by Susan Tomlinson (please look up her exact title)

Funding

This project is funded by the Arts Council of Wales, Bridgend Community Council, Bridgend Festivals Committee, Arts & Culture Service & the Regeneration Directorate. & the Communities Directorate.

This project will be a cross services initiative between Arts & Culture Service, the Conservation & Environment Department, The Never Too Old Action Team and Strategy for Older People in Wales in partnership in partnership with Venture Out, Bridgend Festivals Committee, Bridgend College, Canllaw Online, Y.I.K.E.S. TV (Bridgend Youth Service initiative), Bridgend County Borough Council Tourism Unit, churches in Bridgend, Bridgend Community Council, Every Link Counts, Academi & Creation Development Trust.

NB- Further partnerships have been established with the following organizations that cater specifically for marginalized and disadvantaged groups across the borough with the aim of providing opportunities for their service users take part:

• Bridgend Youth Offending Team (working with young offenders)
• Bridgend After Care Team (working with young people leaving care)
• Kenfig Pyle & Cornelli Youth Club (voluntary sector youth club)
• YELLOW Project (young home less project in Maesteg)
• Bridgend Pupil Referral Unit (working with young people excluded from formal education).
• Bridgend dream Team (voluntary group for disabled young people)
• The Way Forward (project for young parents)
• Parc Prison
• Heronsbridge School
• Afon Y Felin Primary
• Ysgol Y Ferch o'r Sger
• Blaencaerau Junior School
• Brackla Primary School
• Coytrahen Mari Lwyd Group.

BUSINESSES involved in Textmas Competition as well as exhibiting art and being stop offs on the Lantern Procession Route:

(In no particular order)

• Mayhem Menswear (12 Dunraven Place, Bridgend)
• Il Panino
• The Music Station
• Bad Habits
• Aroma Coffee Shop
• Three Horseshoes PUB
• Absolutely Fabulous (Fancy Dress Shop)
• Bridges Coffee Shop
• Celtic Camera Centre
• Ty Coffi

New Light on Bryngarw Fest

Bryngarw House & Country Park,
Brynmenyn, Bridgend
Saturday the 5th of July from 6pm

This will be the official launch and first event for New Light and forms part of an evening of outdoor music set in the beautiful grounds of the house. We hope to surprise the audience with a spectacular multi media presentation showcasing the visual art in a very unconventional way.

More info: www.bryngarwhouse.co.uk or www.bridgend.gov.uk/arts

Click Here to see the video created for New Light on Bryngarw from images, sounds and poetry by the people of Bridgend.

SUNSET TIME: 21:30

New Light on Surf Cult

Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl
Tuesday 16th of September from 7:30pm

Description: A combination of moving image, static imagery and lighting will be used to transform the front of the Porthcawl Grand Pavilion for the grand opening of the 2nd year of the Surf Cult multi media arts exhibition that forms part of the Surf Cult festival.
           
SUNSET TIME: 19:30

More info: www.surf-cult.co.uk
Or www.bridgend.gov.uk/arts

Bridge Concert For The People

We are a group of Bridgend residents who are organising an album and some gigs and merchandise in order to raise funds of which 100% will go to The Samaritans, in memory of those who have taken their lives, of recent times and of past and more importantly, try to help to prevent future cases.

Our aim is to show a positive side to life and show how people can come together and offer support in a variety of different ways.. If you would like to know any more or get involved, please get in touch.

bridge-concertforthepeople.info

The New Light project is initiated by Bridgend County Borough Council’s Arts & Culture Service in partnership with:

(In alphabetical order)

Bridgend After Care Team, Bridgend College, Bridgend Dream Team, Bridgend Festivals Committee, Bridgend Pupil Referral Unit, Bridgend Town Council, Bridgend Youth Service, Canllaw Online, Celtic Camera Centre, Conservation & Environment Department, Every Link Counts, Evenstown Communities First Team, Kenfig Pyle & Cornelli Youth Club, Laleston Community Council, Porthcawl Town Council, Venture Out, Welsh Coast Surf Club, Widelode, YELLOW Project

New Light (project initiated by Bridgend County Borough Council's Arts & Culture Service) aims to provide creative opportunities for the people of Bridgend borough to celebrate the natural beauty and the rich cultural traditions of the area declaring it to the wider world.

Using powerful digital projectors, three public spaces across the borough will be transformed into unique open air galleries of light and sound utilising architectural surfaces as the canvas. Art work featured in these events will include both moving and still images created by professional, amateur and community artists representing scenes of local interest and beauty aiming to inspire the viewer.

Be a part of it!

We are asking you to send us your original photos, video footage, visual art and creative writing that you feel expresses hope and celebrates the beauty of the area and its people. It could be as simple as a family photo, a picture of flowers growing outside your front door, a poem or even a child’s painting. What ever you or a member of your family has created and would be happy to share with us we would love to receive it.

If you're not from this part of the world, but would still like to encourage the people of the borough with your art then please feel free to contribute!

This is a celebration is for everybody no matter your age, skin colour, religion, ability or sexual persuasion. All are welcome!

To find out more - click the Get Involved tab above.

How Will We Show You’re Work?

All online content will be moderated in order to ensure it helps the cause of celebrating life and all that’s good in the borough of Bridgend in particular.

We can only accept work in a digital format (see specifications), but working digitally will also help us to showcase a selection of work as part of large scale architectural projections during our three site specific events across the borough.

These events will also involve sound, music and other community interaction and participation opportunities.

This New Light website has been created as a gateway, not only to keep you informed but to allow you to share and contribute to the entire project.

We are asking you to send us original photos, video footage, visual art and creative writing; anything that you feel expresses hope and celebrates the beauty of the area and its people. It could be as simple as a family photo, a picture of flowers growing outside your front door, a poem or even a child’s painting. What ever you or a member of your family has created and would be happy to share with us we would love to receive it.

How ever, if you are not from this part of the world, but would still like to encourage the people of the borough with your art then please feel free to contribute!

This is a celebration is for everybody no matter your age, skin colour, religion, ability or sexual persuasion. All are welcome!

We have set up camp at some of the webs favourite destinations to make contributing to New Light as easy as possible. You can find us at:

Flickr

Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Basic accounts are free and allow you to upload images from your desktop, send by email, or using your cameraphone. You can even share where your photos and videos were taken, and see photos and videos taken near you.

The New Light Bridgend Flickr group will become the central point for all photographic contributions. Currently to post images you must create a flickr account - we will be creating a shared account and posting a step-by-step guide to adding images via this account.

Facebook

Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet. Anyone can join Facebook All that's needed is a valid email address. Once you register you can join a regional network to connect with people in your area.

The New Light Facebook Group is open to everyone and provides a platform to discuss New Light events and meet other people involved in making New Light a success.

Vimeo

Watch this space for New Light on Vimeo. Vimeo is a thriving community of people who love to make and share video. From simple moments to masterpieces, Vimeo is the perfect home for you to upload, store and share all the video you create. Your video's quality and security is important to us, and that is why we've built advanced privacy options, sharing tools, and high quality video encoding. So whether you are an amateur filmmaker, proud mom, restaurant critic, or just a guy with a cellphone, connect with Vimeo today.