Fonds GB 0210 LITL - Layers in the Landscape Archive

Manuscript, typescript, printed and digital material (comprising text, images, film and sound recordings) created as part of the 'Layers in the Landscape' project, which applied the concept of interdisciplinary and non-hierarchical 'deep mapping' - as interpreted by Mike Pearson, Michael Shanks and Cliff McLucas - to the submerged landscape of Cardigan Bay, and in particular the submerged forest at Borth; this ‘deep mapping’ would be both a process and a product, juxtaposing and combining disparate spatial narratives within a single multi-faceted platform. Originally inspired by the story of Bendigeidfran in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi (‘Branwen uerch Lyr’) and the myth of Cantre'r Gwaelod, and based on the academic work of Erin Kavanagh, the project brought together specialists from a range of creative and scientific disciplines to produce a response to the flooding of Cardigan Bay over 125,000 years under the umbrella of geomythology, which is the study of landscape and story. The results were presented in the form of both academic work and multimedia public events, including the 'Borth's Lost Legends' exhibition at Borth Station Museum (July-September 2017), the 'Layers in Lampeter' exhibition at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) Lampeter (November 2017 - February 2022) and the 'Penrolio' performance at UWTSD Lampeter (January 2018). The theory of communication without hierarchy was tested by taking the project to as many different cultures, age groups and environments as possible (including art galleries, museums, schools, colleges, WI meetings, cinemas, cadet huts and village halls - the ‘Layers in the Landscape’ film alone has been shown in at least 14 countries around the world), and public responses to the project were treated as part of it. The project was funded primarily by the Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF) with support from UWTSD and private sponsors.