Social Documentary

Mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.

Partnering with members of the Ffoton photographic network in Wales, students in the School of Journalism, Media and Culture have been reviving the long-form photo essay to explore and document social issues in the Cardiff Capital Region.

The Social Documentary project's three principal objectives were:

to explore and document under-reported social issues in the city region through the collaborative partnership of journalism students and photographers in the community
to revive the photo essay as a form and build on Wales' historic contribution to social documentary photography
to promote collaborative inter-disciplinary peer learning between university students and members of communities within the region.

The project grew out of insights from an earlier Pilot Engagement Project, Aberfan: remembering, forgetting and moving on. During 2017 it ran alongside the School’s other community initiatives: the Centre for Community Journalism – one of the University’s key engagement projects; and the Sir Tom Hopkinson Centre for Media History, which brings together scholars and research students with journalists, photojournalists, documentary-makers, archivists, media activists and practitioners to focus on the evolution of the media within broader processes of societal change.

Photo essays

Students and Ffoton photographers created four photo essays, each focusing on stories emerging from one of four Pilot Engagement Projects, excerpts from which are shown below.

Cakes, Jam and Bees

A School of Pharmacy-led project to link the Glamorgan Federation of Women's Institutes with local schools as together they develop more bee-friendly habitats.

Words by Pommy Harmar. Images by Tracey Paddison.
The honeybee that lies at the heart of this story has inspired an unlikely alliance between Cardiff University, the Women's Institute and Welsh primary schools.
Since 1900, the UK has lost twenty species of bee, and a further thirty-five are considered under threat of extinction.
This new project is bringing different groups together to find collaborative and innovative solutions to the problem.
Enthused by the bees, and a wish to be the first producer of super honey in Wales, Professor Baillie decided Cardiff should become a bee-friendly city.
Professor Baillie has joined forces with Glamorgan Federation of Women's Institutes to encourage schools to start keeping bees and grow pollinator plants.
"WI members have come up with intriguing ways to tell the bees' story" says Marylyn Haines Evans, Chair of the National Federation of Women's Institutes Public Affairs Committee.

Hart of Ely

A series of workshops for Ely residents, led by the School of History, Archaeology and Religion, to explore our ancient and modern relationship with crafts.

Words by Rimante Bivainyte. Images by Lorna Cabble.
Throughout history, handcraft work has always played a significant part in tribes and communities.
The Hart of Ely project brought members of ‘The Dusty Shed’ and researchers of Cardiff University together to exchange practical skills and knowledge.
The Dusty Shed, run by Dave King, is a place where men come together to undertake woodcraft, metal work or electronics, and socialize.
Members get out of the house to meet new people, share their skills or learn something new, while also making a positive impact on the local community.
Using just hand tools, in weekly workshops the men learnt the basic skills needed to create their own rings and brooches.
They also accompanied University staff to the Ely/Caerau Festival and to the Caerau Hillfort, where they participated in demonstrations for the public.

Love Grangetown, Shop Grangetown

Part of ongoing work by the University's Community Gateway initiative to support local independent businesses in Cardiff's Grangetown.

Networking Creative Hubs

The University's Creative Economy team worked to support members of co-working hubs to network and develop a shared voice.

Words by Andrew Hyde and Alessio Perrone. Images by Andrew Hyde.
The way we work is changing. Work is flexible. Work is remote. It’s fast-moving. Dynamic.
A wave of start-ups, consultants and freelance professionals has emerged in fields ranging from advertising to media production, from design to cultural industries, from marketing to design.
One of the main conduits of the creative economy is creative hubs. On the most basic level, creative hubs are shared office spaces.
But they are more than the sum of their parts: they bring creative people into contact with one another – providing users with plenty of opportunities to network, engage with different industries and link up with different people.
In an attempt to maximise their impact, circulate best practice, and provide peer support, Cardiff University’s Creative Economy team brought together managers and owners of existing creative hubs.
The hubs held a ‘round robin’ exchange, in which hubs’ representatives would visit each other to share best practices, common problems and think critically about their work.
The themes discussed included: viable networking and co-operative models; event management; business rates; city-region identity; and the collective voice of the hubs as a driving force of the Welsh economy.
The Creative Economy team continue to develop new ways of collaborating with the hubs, supporting the collective voice of those working in the creative hubs scene of the city region.