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Goodbye 2018, say Hello to 2019!
2018 was another great year at Winding Snake Productions, with the completion of the India/Wales season, Rangoli project, funded by Wales Arts International and British Council Wales. With an event at the Glynn Vivian gallery in Swansea and a two day stint at the Nomads Tent Gallery at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.
To kick the year off, we worked on a fantastic collaboration with the Welfare in Ystradgynlais. We made two brilliant animated shorts with Ysgol Maesydderwen Comprehensive School and Syrian refugee families, who have made their way to safety in Wales. We also had the opportunity to work with Michael Sheen (yes! THE Michael Sheen!), and may we say it was a great experience.
The films, Cynefin and Uncle Ahmed’s Canaries are now available to watch online: https://vimeo.com/262961426 and https://vimeo.com/262961030
In the spring we received an award from the Welsh Government Centenary Grant scheme, to mark 100 years of the partial vote for women in the UK. We spent the summer working with the Go Girls, a Bron Afon and Charter Housing initiative to empower young women living in social housing, and what a blast we had! We delivered workshops on feminism, equal rights, media interviewing skills, poetry and creative writing, resilience, animation and the history of the suffrage movement in Wales. After all that, we interviewed a series of brilliant women living and working in Wales today about their experiences of making their voices heard. Jessica Morden MP, Leanne Wood AM, Baroness Anita Gale, Sarah Powell the Director of Sport Wales, Professor Laura MCallister, Professor Meena Upadhyaya, Sophie Howe the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Theresa Mgadzah Jones, Caroline Bovey and Dr Nilufar Ahmed all contributed to the project and we’d like to say a huge, great big thank you. The project called the Female Voice, finished in December at a WOW Film Festival Women’s Film Club in event in Newport, at an F-rated screening, where the film made as part of the program was showcased to rapturous applause from the a packed out all female audience. The film will be released online soon, so keep an eye out for it.
Alongside this, a production funded by Winding Snake Productions and Ffilm Cymru Wales Beacons Scheme, with a team led by Lauren Orme, have been busily working away on Creepy Pasta Salad, a brilliant animated dark comedy, starring the voice of Adam Buxton, Richard Harrington, Eve Myles and Ruth Madoc, and is due to be released this year! This is one you won’t want to miss, so keep alert people.
Marmalade is Missing, is now in the early stages of development too. An animated short film, written by James Nutting and Amy Morris. A sumptuous drawn animation, about a magical burlesque cabaret and a naughty ginger tom cat. We’ve decided to crowd fund for this, so it’ll be getting wild on our social media profiles soon.
Towards the end of the year Winding Snake Productions and Animation Director Efa Blosse-Mason, secured development funding from Ffilm Cymru Wales Beacons scheme for a short film about the first throes of love, called Leaf Boat. Development will commence in early 2019 and we are very excited about it indeed.
To top it all, our tireless and wonderful principle project manager Glen Biseker has been managing and delivering a series of Lead Creative Schools projects, across Wales and has made some brilliant films, a website and radio show. Bravo Glen!
This year we will be launching our latest project Newport Rock Collecting. A Heritage Lottery Funded program in partnership with Newport Museum, and First Campus at the University of South Wales. As part of this project we will be creating an audio archive, curating and exhibition and delivering a Girls Rock program of activity. To find out more visiting www.rockcollecting.co.uk.
News for 2018
Last year was such a hugely busy, creative and productive year for the brilliant peeps at Winding Snake Productions, that it's only now that they’ve got round to updating this news page!
“We made giant rangoli in Cardigan, Newport, Delhi, Jaipur and Ajmer, check out our project site www.artthatbinds.org to learn more about our Indian adventures.
We worked in over 10 different school across Wales, finished a two-year heritage program with the Girl Guiding community in Newport called Newport Gun Girls. We’ve been training teachers, writing learning resources for the Digital Competency Framework, and our films were screened at festivals across the world and 2018, is shaping up to be just as epic as the last!”
Towards the end of of 2017, Amy, James, Glen and Dan worked with Caroline and Amel at The Welfare in Ystradgynlais to make two films with young people at Maesydderwen Comprehensive School and Syrian families recently arrived in Powys. “It was such a wonderful privilege to meet the men, women and children who came to Wales from Syria, and to work with them to make the films”. Uncle Ahmed’s Canaries is a story based on the first hand accounts of the families’ experiences of leaving Syria and their journey to Wales. The second film, written by pupils at the local school, is an homage to celebrated artist and Polish refugee Josef Hermon, called Cynefin. Voiced by none other than charity patron and actor Michael Sheen! The screening event took place in March and it was standing room only. The films will be released later this year. Keep your eyes peeled for more info. Click https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/977265837840138247 for a BBC article.
In January 2018, Winding Snake MD and the Girl Guides were invited to meet Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Cardiff Castle, to showcase their brilliant Gun Girls project. The team also started work at Pill Primary. In March, Glen and Nigel finished a Lead Creative Schools project at Risca Primary called Vaccies. Working with two year 5 classes, and some of the original evacuees who were rehomed in Risca during WW2. The guys made a wonderful stop motion animated short film, which is going to be doing the rounds of the film festival circuit shortly. To follow this project in the news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-43502073
Winding Snake also had a wonderful time working in collaboration with the talented and all round wonderful team at Small World Theatre on a few projects. What fun!
Coming up in 2018, more rangoli and a new project supported by Welsh Government, First Campus at the University of South Wales and the WOW Women’s Film Club working with Bron Afon and Charter Housing Go Girls program, called the Female Voice and they welcome filmmaker Tash Horton to the team as part of this exciting new project.
Lots and lots more wonderful stuff to come, to find out more drop them an email via hello@windingsnake.com.
Projects for 2017
2016 was a wonderful year for the team at Winding Snake Productions, despite world politics dominating the headlines and the loss of so much creative and intellectual talent. We had the privilege of working with over 500 young people across Wales, and with some fantastic people at fantastic organisations which include First Campus, Into Film, Welsh National Opera, Arts Council of Wales, Heritage Lottery Fund Cymru, Small World Theatre, WOW One World Film Festival, Girl Guiding Cymru, and Ffilm Cymru Wales.
Several films from our 2015 slate were nominated or won awards at national and international film festivals and we found some time to extend our studio space at Chapter in Cardiff.
We finished the Lipstick and Chainsaws project in the summer, you can visit the project site http://lipstickandchainsaws.co.uk/ . We also released our multi award winning documentary A Bird in a Cage online in June 2016, to watch the film visit http://www.abirdinacage.org/ .
We have lots to look forward to in 2017 too.
We will be finishing our heritage lottery funded project Newport Gun Girls in the Spring, get in touch to secure your seat at the premiere screening!
We are delivering three projects as creative practitioners as part of the Arts Council of Wales Lead Creative Schools scheme and we are making an animated short written and directed by Lauren Orme, called Creepy Pasta Salad. A film funded by the BFI NET.WORK.
Towards the end of the year we will be delivering our first international project for Wales, between Wales and India. A project funded by Wales Arts International, British Council as part of their UK/India 2017, to celebrate 70 years of Indian independence. Winding Snake Productions will work across both countries with women to teach filmmaking and animation skills and learn more about Rangoli: art that binds.
We can’t wait to get started. To keep up-to-date with all of our work you can follow us on Twitter @winding_snake or you can email us at hello@windingsnake.com.
Aderyn Caeth: Ymunwch â ni ar-lein ddydd Sadwrn 25 Mehefin 2016 pan fo Cynyrchiadau’r Neidr Nadreddog yn adrodd hanes un o fenywod mwyaf anhygoel Cymru.
103 o flynyddoedd yn ôl ar 25 Mehefin 1913, penderfynodd Arglwyddes y Rhondda weithredu. Yng Nghasnewydd roedd yn byw ac fe’i hadnabyddid hefyd yn Margaret Mackworth neu Margaret Haig Thomas.
Un o fenywod mwyaf dylanwadol yn ei hamser oedd Arglwyddes y Rhondda o Lan-wern. Nid oedd am ymfodloni ar lynu at waith beunyddiol traddodiadol y ferch, brwydrodd yn erbyn rhywiaeth a biwrocratiaeth y dynion i dorri ei chwys ei hun ym myd busnes, newyddiadura a gwleidyddiaeth, gan fod yn geffyl blaen ac yn esiampl i fenywod eraill dros y byd.
Trodd ei hymdrechion at frwydr ffyrnig ennill y bleidlais ac annibyniaeth wleidyddol i fenywod. Yn y mudiad hwnnw chwaraeodd rôl allweddol. Sefydlodd Gasnewydd yn gadarnle i’r mudiad gyda’i thactegau penderfynol, unigryw ac ymfflamychol.
Diolch i gefnogaeth Cronfa Dreftadaeth y Loteri a’r Campws Cyntaf ym Mhrifysgol y De, drwy gydol 2014 bu Cynyrchiadau’r Neidr Nadreddog yn gweithio gyda phobl ifainc o Gaerffili a Chasnewydd i ddarganfod hanes y fenyw arbennig hon a’i adrodd eto ar gyfer y cenedlaethau i ddod ar ffurf animeiddiad creadigol a ffeithiol.
Drwy ymweld â San Steffan, ymchwilio i wrthrychau hanesyddol a siarad â gwleidyddion lleol y datblygodd pobl ifainc o Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd ac Ysgol y Merched, Lewis ymateb gwybodus a chreadigol i fudiad rhyddid i fenywod a chyfraniad Arglwyddes y Rhondda ato. Buont yn gweithio gyda cherddorion ac awduron lleol i gyfansoddi barddoniaeth a chynllunio baneri yn null y mudiad a magu dealltwriaeth fanwl o’r gwahaniaethau rhwng bywyd menywod heddiw a chanrif yn ôl.
Syfrdanwyd llawer o’r plant gan y disgwyliadau a oedd ar fenywod o ran sut y dylasent fyw a sut y teyrnasai dynion drostynt gan eu gyrru i’r cysgodion ac i’r ymylon. Effeithiodd hyn ar eu gwisg a phenderfyniadau pwysig am eu bywyd beunyddiol hwy a’u teuluoedd. Bu’r prosiect hwn yn fodd i bobl ifainc Cymru archwilio’r newidiadau yn ein hagwedd at le’r fenyw yn ein cymdeithas yn hanesyddol ac ail-werthuso swyddogaeth y fenyw yn ein diwylliant heddiw. Gallai’r bobl ifainc fynegi eu barn, eu teimladau a’r hyn a ddysgwyd ganddynt a hynny’n greadigol ac yn adeiladol.
Dyma’ch gwahodd i ymuno â ni ar-lein: www.abirdinacage.org am 6pm am ddangosiad cyntaf y gwaith arloesol hwn.
Gellwch ymuno â’r drafodaeth am wneud ffilmiau, ffeminyddiaeth, hawliau cyfartal, hanes a gwleidyddiaeth ar Drydar: @winding_snake.
Cysylltwch â ni am ragor o wybodaeth: hello@windingsnake.com.
A Bird in a Cage: Join us online Saturday June 25th 2016 as Winding Snake Productions tell the story of one of Wales’ most incredible women.
103 years ago on June 25th 1913 Newport’s own Lady Rhondda also know as Margaret Mackworth and Margaret Haig Thomas, made a decision to act.
Lady Rhondda of Llanwern was one of the most influential women of her time. Not contented with the day to day tasks traditionally ascribed to women, she struggled with misogyny and masculine bureaucracy to forge her way in business, writing and politics, blazing a trail for women the world over.
Her efforts extended into the fierce battle for women’s suffrage and political independence, in which she took a key role; helping establish Newport as a strong player in the suffrage movement with her incendiary, determined and unique tactics.
Thanks to the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and First Campus at the University of South Wales, throughout 2014 Winding Snake Productions worked with young people from Caerphilly and Newport to uncover the story of this remarkable woman and to retell it for future generations in the form of a creative and informative animated documentary.
By visiting parliament, researching historical artefacts, and speaking to local politicians, young people from Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd and Lewis Girls school developed an informed and creative response to the women’s liberation movement and to Lady Rhondda’s part in it. Working with local musicians and writers they composed suffrage verse, designed suffrage banners and developed a detailed understanding the differences in the lives of women 100 years ago.
Many of the children were astounded at the ways in which women were expected to live and how they were overshadowed and dismissed by their male counterparts; from matters of dress to involvement in the decision-making process that governed their lives and those of their families. This project has not only allowed young people in Wales to examine the shift in gender perception throughout history, but to re-evaluate the role of women in contemporary culture. They have been able to express their thoughts, feelings and learnings creatively and constructively.
We invite you to join us at online at www.abirdinacage.org at 6pm for the online premier of this multi award winning work.
You can also join the discussion on filmmaking, feminism, equal rights, history and politics on Twitter @winding_snake.
Contact us for more information via hello@windingsnake.com.
Projects for 2016
2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year at Winding Snake. Beginning with an innovative new arts engagement project funded by the Arts Council of Wales and long-time supporters First Campus at the University of South Wales and G39 gallery in Cardiff called Lipstick and Chainsaws.
The project will bring together teenagers from Caerphilly & Blaenau Gwent to take part in creating art for their own online exhibition. During this programme the groups will work with professional artists at Winding Snake as well as internationally renowned artists Tim Davies, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Rhys Webber and Sue Williams.
The theme of the work will examine the representation of women in art, as well as exploring the way in which Welsh teenagers consume art.
Digital art is a booking genre, and with the increasing use of online art stores such as Etsy, Society6 and Eyestorm, as well as apps such as Pinterest, Flickr and Instagram, more people from locations across Wales are able to access art, artists and art collecting in a way that previously may not have been possible.
This project starts in January 2016 and is due for completion in June 2016. Keep an eye on the @winding_snake twitter (#lipstick&chainsaws) feed for more info about the launch of the digital exhibition.
Other work starting this year includes a wonderful new documentary project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and First Campus.
Newport Gun Girls: Stories from ROF 11 is a new immersive social history project which will investigate what life was like for women workers based at Newport's Royal Ordnance Factory 11 during the Second World War.
Between 1941 and 1945 women from across Wales were recruited by the Ministry of Labour and National Service to work as part of the wartime munitions labour force.
Working with Newport Museum, the University of South Wales, historian Professor Deirdre Beddoe and professional engineers and arts practitioners, through workshops the Newport Gun Girls project will engage the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, and Rangers of Newport East and young people from Blaenau Gwent. The participants will learn about the everyday experiences and achievements of the wartime female munitions workers at ROF 11.
We will look at the work they did, and explore the wider implications of their new roles. We will also examine what life was like, looking at popular music, film and art from this period. We will use the voices of these women to tell their own stories and provide a new multimedia heritage learning experience for young people to directly connect with their own cultural heritage.
The animated documentary is due to be released in 2017.
Further news for 2016; Winding Snake Productions will begin phase one of production for an independent animated short written and directed by Lauren Orme.
There are several smaller programs happening too, so keep in touch to find out more. Wishing you a super year. Love from the team xx
Into Space Project
At the end of last year Winding Snake embarked on an exciting new project. The brief was to make a short film, with young people, around the theme of space and exploration. We have teamed up with the Lewis Boys school, in Pengam and during a number of workshops, we have created the foundations of our final film. As it is a competition with Into Film, the final projects will be specially selected and will be watched in space by European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake during his mission to the International Space Station. Fingers crossed that our film is selected. If you would like more information on the competion, visit the Into Film: Into Space page http://www.intofilm.org/space.
First Campus Summer School, University of South Wales Treforest Campus
Winding Snake’s regular role at the First Campus Summer School led by Glen Biseker, saw the team work with 25 young people from around the South East Valleys. Over the course of a week. The group wrote scripts and storyboards, filmed using professional equipment, made sound effects, composed music and edited their films. Workshops also included abstract painting and animation which were all added to the final film.
The film called Fix N= can be accessed via vimeo by clicking on this link:
The iPad Project
In early 2015 Winding Snake Productions were commissioned by Into Film and First Campus to make 4 films with 4 different schools - Rhymney Comprehensive, Pontypridd High School, Tir-y-Berth Primary School and Cyfarthfa Park Junior School - using only iPads to film, edit and add effects. Through the workshops the schools and classes involved were able to explore production techniques in animation, live action, collage and storytelling. The student films are now available on Vimeo:
Dino and the Shapes https://vimeo.com/149650279
Political Animals https://vimeo.com/149648902
Reflections https://vimeo.com/149652475
Flow link coming soon…
The Making of Learning to Fly.
“Learning to Fly” was an ambitious project that took in much help from outside sources as well as Winding Snake.
The film was funded by Arts Council of Wales, First Campus at the University of South Wales and Ffilm Cymru Wales.
Producer Amy Morris says “Without Arts Council of Wales and the additional support from Ffilm Cymru Wales and First Campus we would not have been able to make this excellent body of work that developed the children in such a wonderful way”.
The Arts Council of Wales is an independent charity with a principle sponsor through the Welsh Government, and they distribute funding from the National Lottery to those in need for artistic and creative bodies of work. They work together with the Welsh Government to fulfill the need of the Government’s policy ambitions. The film, created by Winding Snake and the school children of Abertillery Comprehensive and Tir Y Berth Primary was a collaborative project that featured the story of a vile ruler, who banned and locked up all the books in the land. His three daughters and a friend went to free the books, which took them across the vast sea and featured an encounter with a fairy tale loving dragon.
The film featured a set, made from a humble door frame. It was transformed into a mosaic world, featuring marbles, glass and nails. This proved hazardous when moving the set into Winding Snakes new office. The mosaic work was done primarily by Stephanie Roberts, who is a visual storyteller, and the outcome was a beautiful landscape made vivid and animated by the raw materials.
The painstakingly detailed constructed books would not look out of place in a regal dolls house. There is also a tapestry of a bookshelf featuring the titles of many famous books, both recent and classic. Lena Dunham’s “Not That Kind of Girl” fits snuggly on the makeshift bookshelf along with “The Old Man and the Sea”. Famed South Wales storyteller Daniel Morden, and the widely renowned poet Mab Jones helped in the pre-production stages of “Learning to Fly”.
One of the key factors in developing this film was the school report “Arts in Education in the Schools of Wales” by Professor Dai Smith and the response to this by the Welsh Government. This report by Professor Dai Smith outlined that more needed to come through arts based subjects in concerns to the development of children.
Researcher Louise Bowen, Animation specialist Lauren Orme and Producer Amy Morris from Winding Snake all worked together to produce “Learning to Fly” which is being sent off to film festivals as we speak. Its success and the positive effect it had on the development of the children in the two schools would not have been possible without the funding Winding Snake received, primarily through Arts Council of Wales.
Learn animation skills and techniques from our award-winning team
We’re excited to announce that, based on the success of our Adult Animation course this year, we will be running no fewer than four courses in 2015.
The courses are open to anybody looking to develop their animation skills, learn technique from our team of experienced professional animators and get a glimpse inside the animation industry. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about the history of animation and then work on your own project with the one-on-one help of the Winding Snake team.
There is also a chance for you to gain an official accreditation for your work during the course. You’ll learn loads of additional skills along the way, too and it’s an exciting way to meet new people who share your love of art and creativity; working in a group can be a great way to share tips and bounce ideas around. You’ll also have a chance to work with the professional kit, tools and technology in our cosy studio to create something beautiful and memorable
For more information you can see when the courses will run, book your place and check out the work of last year’s participants here.
There is always plenty of tea and cake and a relaxed, fun atmosphere to work in.
To find out more about Winding Snake and the work that we do come and visit us on Twitter @winding_snake and Facebook
Please contact amy@windingsnake.com with any questions or to book onto a course.
Join us on the 10th of October 2014 as Winding Snake Productions tell the story of one of Wales’ most incredible women.
Lady Rhondda of Llanwern was one of the most influential women of her time. Not contented with the day to day tasks traditionally ascribed to women, she struggled with misogyny and masculine bureaucracy to forge her way in business, writing and politics, blazing a trail for women the world over.
Her efforts extended into the fierce battle for women’s suffrage and political independence, in which she took a key role; helping establish Newport as a strong player in the suffrage movement with her incendiary, determined and unique tactics.
Thanks to the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Winding Snake have been work with young people from Caerphilly and Newport to uncover the story of this remarkable woman and to retell it for future generations in the form of a creative and informative animation.
By visiting parliament, researching historical artefacts, and speaking to local politicians, young people from Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd and Lewis Girls school have developed an informed and creative response to the women’s liberation movement and to Lady Rhondda’s part in it. Working with local musicians and writers they have composed suffrage verse, designed suffrage banners and developed a detailed understanding the differences in the lives of women 100 years ago, which they present in this beautiful and informative short film.
Many of the children were astounded at the ways in which women were expected to live and how they were overshadowed and dismissed by their male counterparts; from matters of dress to involvement in the decision-making process that governed their lives and those of their families. This project has not only allowed young people in Wales to examine the shift in gender perception throughout history, but to re-evaluate the role of women in contemporary culture. They have been able to express their thoughts, feelings and learnings creatively and constructively.
We invite you to join us at University of South Wales, Caerleon Campus for the premier of this astonishing work; to learn something new about your local history and to be inspired by the work of these young people: A Bird in a Cage.
Bi-lingual educational resources are available through the project website: www.abirdinacage.org, where you can also find videos, news stories, photographs and blog posts from influential women across the UK. You can also join the discussion on feminism, women’s rights, history and politics on Twitter @ThisWasMyWorld.
To book a place at the premiere please email hello@windingsnake.com
Learn to animate this autumn at Chapter Arts with Winding Snake’s award-winning animation team
What is the course?
The Beginners Animation Course teaches everything you need to know to get started in animation. It’s a hands-on experience where you can learn essential animation techniques; from drawing, cut-out and stop-motion skills to painting on glass and sand. You’ll work with our team of professional animators to understand the technology and the technique that lets your imagination light up the screen.
Who is it for?
If you’ve always wondered about how animation works but never had a chance to learn then this course is for you. It’s an adults-only environment and you won’t need any special skills or experience to get stuck in. We’ll start with the basics and work from there. It’s a no-pressure experience and you can take everything at your own pace.
You can choose to gain an animation accreditation as part of the course, if you’d like to.
How long is the course?
It’s a six week course that runs over Sunday afternoons/early evenings, so you won’t have any work clashes to worry about. All materials, equipment and software will be provided and there will be plenty of tea and cake to keep the creative juices flowing!
Where is the course running?
It will take place at Chapter Arts Centre in Canton, Cardiff
How can I get involved?
You can book in advance; just contact amy@windingsnake for more details. The course is £250 per person and we’ll be taking advance bookings from the 1st of September. There are only six places, so make sure you book quickly to avoid disappointment.
You can also follow us on Twitter @winding_snake to find out the latest news and stories from our animation team.
Course dates:
Sunday October 5th 4pm - 7pm.
Sunday October 12th 4pm - 7pm.
Sunday October 19th 4pm - 7pm.
Sunday October 26th BREAK
Sunday November 2nd 4pm - 7pm
Sunday November 9th 4pm - 7pm.
Saturday November 15th 10am - 4pm
Sunday November 16th 4pm - 7pm.