Y Gair #2
— The Dyddiau Du Newsletter
Hello!
We hope you’re all keeping well, and keeping warm.
Another busy couple of weeks since the last newsletter, with the launch of our first exhibition, The Rise of the Simorgh, and the launch of Cardiff Collage Club!
Read on for pics and a recap of these two brilliant events, as well as our next featured poem!
Rise of the Simorgh (Phoenix)
We couldn’t have asked for a better exhibition or group of artists to share their work in our space, for the very first time. In this exhibition, Iranian women artists came together to showcase the work they’ve been in response to, and protest of the unlawful crimes currently being committed in Iran. While exhibitions such as these are in response to deeply sad circumstances, the event itself was an outpouring of love, hope and community. The exhibition is up until Sunday 18th, so pop into Dyddiau Du Thurs-Sun this week if you’d like to see it!
For more information on what’s happening in Iran, and what you can do to help:
Cardiff Collage Club, 13th December
CCC’s first community collage event was a success! Hosted by Freya (he/they) and Sam (they/them), it was an extravaganza of queerness, neurodivergency, craft and poetics. Thank you to everyone who braced the cold, and joined us for a cuppa and some cutting up! Make sure you follow @cardiffcollageclub on Insta!
Winter Social, 22nd December
Our next (and last!) event before we break up for the festive break, is our Winter Social on Thursday 22nd December. Between 4-6pm, join us for alcohol-free mulled wine and mince pies (vg/gf)! There will also be a drop-in craft table, if anyone fancies making any last minute Christmas cards, and an open mic. You are invited to share your favourite winter stories and poems, as well as your originals, as long as they’re winter themed!
This is a free event, but please consider making a donation so we can keep putting on events like this one. Click here for more info.
Festive times
We will be closed from Thursday 22nd December, until January 5th. We need the break! In the new year, we will be running a regular schedule of events, including creative writing workshops, open mic nights, Cardiff Collage Club and Dyddiau Du Film Club. Watch this space!
Featured Poem
The beautiful poet that any regular in the Cardiff poetry scene knows and loves, Frankie Parris, has very kindly written this poem as a homage to Dyddiau Du! Frankie is a multi-instrumentalist, seems to be in very band in Cardiff, and is working on their debut collection of short stories, and also a script for a short film! Expect big things from this Mr Jazz Enthusiast in 2023.
Dyddiau Du
By Frankie Parris
Sometimes,
the weight of the world will pin you down.
Unable to move,
yet restless.
Despite it all, the tingle of hope remains in your fingers.
A gentle reminder of time passing,
the possibility of change.
It sits quietly behind the rattling curtain,
behind the grey skies.
Sometimes,
you’ll need a hand to pull you from the ground.
A wrist poking kindly from beneath a cardigan.
Other times, just the knowledge will do.
That days exist beyond these ones,
places too.
Maybe that wrist will open the door,
the breeze rustling your shirt and waltzing you round the corner
to green bookshelves and a place to be held.
Where dog-eared poetry and a paintbrush wait patiently.
No judgement.
Dark days don’t have to be so heavy.
Sometimes you can sit with them on a sofa,
share a cup of tea
and enjoy the rain against the windows.
———
Each time we choose a Featured Poem, it will be in the newsletter a week earlier than it will be on socials. Just a little motivation to not just subscribe to the newsletter but also, ya’know, actually read’em.
Book Of The Month
Gwald Yr Asyn by Wyn Mason & Era Blosse-Mason is our Book of the Month for all of December! We went to their packed(!) book launch at Kings Road Yard in Pontcanna and had a grand ol’ time, listening to Wyn & Era in conversation with Bardd Plant Cymru, Casi Wyn.
You can read and borrow our copy of ‘Glad Yr Asyn’, available now at Dyddiau du. Or if you’d like your own copy, you can buy it here.
Exhibition Call Out
We are open for EXHIBITION SUBMISSIONS, from December 16th until January 16th. We are announcing this in our newsletter, before we announce it on our socials on Friday 16th (Another incentive to subscribe to the newsletter). We want to put together a community exhibition of queer and neurodivergent artists. If that’s you, we want to hear from you.
Dates:
16th Dec-16th Jan — Submission Window
20th Jan — We aim to choose work and notify artists by this date
31st Jan-1st Feb — Installation dates
3rd Feb (Friday) — Launch event
We hope that we will receive enough submissions of quality art that fits our vision and ethos, for two exhibitions — one for all of February, and one for all of March.
Guidelines:
Send up to 4 images of your artworks, with a brief description of the work. This description can include a list of materials used in the art, and a brief statement about the art. please let us know if the works sent are standalone pieces or in a series, and also the dimensions of the work.
Include a short bio (up to 100 words) about yourself, in the 3rd person. Include your name, practice, where you’re from/based. You can also include where you studied, any relevant achievements, or a fun fact. Just don’t go over the word count! Here’s an example:
Tom Jones (he/him) is a singer and musician from Treforest, Pontypridd. He quit school at the age of 15, and now has a net worth of $300 million, and has had 36 Top 40 hit singles in the UK. Jones lives between Wales and London with his siamese cats.
Email your submission to us at dyddiaudu@gmail.com, with your name and ‘Submission’ in the subject line. Your description of the work you’re submitting, including dimensions, and your bio should be in the body of the email.
Attach images of your work as high quality JPEGs. Sending your work in a Dropbox link is fine, just make that we can access it.
Any questions, or if you’d like to chat to us before submitting your work, feel free to email us. Our guidelines are meant to simply make life a little easier for us when accessing people’s submissions. They’re not their to make anyone hesitate about submitting!
Cheers my dears! Thanks for reading through this long boi.
Joshua, Freya and Rhys x
Dyddiau Du
Thurs-Sat 11-6pm, Sun 11-4pm
Capitol Centre, Queen Street, Cardiff, CF10 2HQ
dyddiaudu@gmail.com
Twitter & Instagram: @dyddiaudu
