Alex Ioannou, Changing Eryri (Pontio, Bangor, 8th-18th of August, 2024)

The exhibition, titled Changing Eryri, forms a central part of Alex’s ongoing doctoral research, which explores the many social, political, and cultural obstacles facing the Welsh government in managing the changing landscape of north Wales, as it pursues its long-term goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2035.

Focusing on a case study of Dyffryn Ogwen, Gwynedd, land once owned and managed by the historic Penrhyn Estate, Alex has been working closely with its local people over the years, ultimately shaping a project which feels at once highly personal, while at the same time is instilled with the collective spirit. Through oral testimonies, interactive workshops, and utilising a plethora of other primary source bases, he has examined the various and often conflicting perceptions and attitudes regarding the significant transformations that Eryri has encountered through its long history – from its deep, glacial past, to more modern and contemporary times, and beyond. Changing Eryri thus forms the third and final part of this phased collaboration regarding the Ogwen Valley, and in the words of its curator, promises to give its participants “a refreshed perspective on their environment, while challenging their beliefs about change in the landscape”.

Indeed, this exhibition not only showcases Alex’s partnership with the local population of Dyffryn Ogwen, but also the intense cooperation between various departments within Bangor University itself, and many of its external partners, including Bangor University Archives and Special Collections, the Institute for the Study of Welsh Estates, Sir William Roberts Centre for Sustainable Land Use, the Department of Music, Drama and Performance, Pontio and representatives from Natural Resources Wales, National Trust and Eryri National Park Authority. This collaborative approach demonstrates the inherent interdisciplinary nature of his work, encompassing such fields as history, geography, landscape research, the natural and social sciences, cultural studies, linguistics, . Moreover, by tackling so many of these themes, the exhibition arguably illustrates the monumental and multifaceted challenges facing Eryri to confront the substantial changes that has been wrought upon it over the years, “from the hidden processes intrinsic to shaping our understandings of its landscape, to the more evident physical transformations undertaken by the historic Penrhyn Estate”. It is in this guise that Alex wants to show the relevance of the Penrhyn estate, for good or ill, in shaping the built environment, and indeed the lives of the inhabitants of communities like Dyffryn Ogwen.

Moreover, as Alex is also keen to highlight, and as this exhibition effectively demonstrates, change is not only a part of Eryri’s past and present, but also inevitably a part of its future:

“The Welsh Government calls this ‘the decisive decade’ to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. We are already experiencing an intensity of droughts, river and coastal floods across the National Park, which all impacts its communities and ecosystems. To help tackle these negative pressures, we must re-think about ways we can transform our use of land to help reduce the effect on wildlife and on our livelihoods."

Nevertheless, not all hope is lost, and Alex is eager to provide an optimistic and hopeful epilogue to his work: “people, and society, change landscapes. This can be seen through the actions and influence of the Penrhyn estate. Therefore, we have to acknowledge that change is a part of Eryri’s story, past present and future. Accordingly, we can and should embrace that change, and we can choose what form these changes take, and which directions it takes us.” This democratised and collaborative approach, embodied in his work, is what Alex hopes will enact impactful and meaningful change in the lives of not only the communities and natural environments of Eryri, but across the British Isles and beyond.

Changing Eryri opens on Thursday the 8^th of August, in the whiteBOX exhibition room in Pontio, Bangor and will be available to visit until the 18^th of the month. Entrance is free. Additionally, on the final day of the exhibition, Sunday 18^th August there will be the sharing of additional archive material, talks and music between 14:00 and 17:00. We hope to see you there on what should be a fascinating and captivating exploration of what change means for the north Wales landscape.