SENSE aims to get people to think about Elan from new perspectives, exploring the area through touch, taste, smell, sound and sight. It is a free and public event, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which offers BSL translation for ticketed events.
Over Friday and Saturday Cardiff-based sound artists Ardal Bicnic will be running multiple sound foraging journeys, using contact microphones and hydrophones to discover and create sounds together.
On Friday evening Peter Williamson (FRAS) will deliver an astronomy-themed talk at Penbont House, and if the skies are clear, visit the Cosmic Cwtch for a spot of stargazing.
At the ‘Pongs from the Past’ stall on Saturday, located in the Visitor Centre, heritage officer Gary Ball will offer members of the public the chance to experience historical smells and tastes, giving them a taste of life in Elan through the ages. The Elan Links archive project will be exhibiting a soundscape of oral histories which they’ve collected throughout the last five years ‘Voices of the Valley, also in the Visitor Centre.
On Saturday morning yoga teacher Rosie Slay is leading a ‘Perfect Sense’ walk through Cnwch woods, encouraging participants to lean into their senses to deepen their connection with the natural world.
Later, in the evening, Wildlife and livestock farmer and Radnorshire mammal vice county recorder Sorcha Lewis will lead a group through Cnwch in search of some of Elan’s nocturnal wildlife.
All events are completely free, but advance booking is necessary for several events. This event is part of a programme of engaging events to be delivered in the final year of the Elan Links scheme, which aims to communicate the special landscape and heritage of Elan Valley.
Esther Wakeling, Scheme Manager of Elan Links said “SENSE brings together multiple strands of the work we have been doing through Elan Links – historical, ecological and creative, and presents them in exciting new ways for audiences. We hope that people will gain a richer understanding of Elan through these and future events.”
