Performing Abergavenny: creating a connected community beyond divisions of class, locality and history

这个项目将研究划分蒙莫斯郡阿伯格文尼小镇和社区的问题。与两个社区组织合作，我们正在寻求创造审问分歧的问题，开始克服分歧，并为一个有凝聚力的“社区”未来制定计划。社区项目使用的方法和结果将在公共论坛和学术文章中阐明、分析和传播。该项目建立在AHRC资助的两个项目之上。首先，Walkerdine等人在Abergvenny为互联社区计划所做的“社区作为微观社会性”(2011-12)的研究发现，Abergvenny作为一个社区在地理上是沿着南北断层线断开的，历史上与阶级和混乱有关。其次，Mackey等人的项目“通过社区环境中的表演实践挑战‘流动’场所的概念”(2011-14)与社区参与者和艺术家合作，通过表演询问人们与他们所在场所的关系，这也是AHRC的主题。阿伯加文尼的划分被标出，从给予该地区的名称(保留地)，到南方对北方缺乏了解，反之亦然，以及这两个群体所表现出的存在和通过阿伯加文尼的困难和差异。在这种情况下，社区支持和服务的提供在地理上是划分的，这大致等同于阶级划分。将这两个AHRC项目结合起来，使我们能够以包容的方式将“社区”视为微观的社会性和表演。我们将与社区团体的代表共同创建和共同设计一个项目，以确定以下问题：a)如何经历分歧和如何产生分歧；b)如何克服分歧，以创造出欢迎和支持社区双方的规定；c)为可持续的社区未来制定计划，在削减资金的情况下，不顾历史分歧，确定对社区的相互联系和综合支持。这是达成一致的起点和项目的“挂钩”。自7月以来，通过指导小组内部的讨论制定了这项建议，作为这项建议的背景活动。指导小组包括来自两个社区合作伙伴，社区第一北阿伯加文尼和阿伯加文尼社区中心(阿伯加文尼南部)的代表以及三名研究小组成员，并将在第二阶段由当地议会成员加入。指导小组综合运用艺术、人文和社会科学的方法，正在考虑一系列受历史研究影响的现场表演活动，以初步揭示当地居民所说的城镇内部分裂的历史。这些知识将引导我们制定第二阶段的具体问题，例如，关于该镇分区的背景、历史和当前理解。这些将成为第二阶段活动的基础，我们预计第二阶段将更密切地调查这些部门，开始改善情况，并导致制定长期计划，以便与当地议会和政府分享连体资源和社区生活。由于研究方法已经在项目前的指导小组会议上讨论过，我们可能主要使用表演性的方法，包括步行和地图绘制技术，以及基于现场的社区表演工作。对社区和研究人员潜在的巨大好处是如何开发一种方法，将一系列技术和询问模式结合在一起，能够创造社区成员包容性的自我定向研究，并以替代的、基于整体艺术的社区方法为基础。

This project will examine issues dividing the town and community of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. In conjunction with two community organisations, we are seeking to create questions that interrogate divisions, begin to overcome them and develop plans for a cohesive 'communal' future. Methods used and findings from the community project will be articulated, analysed and disseminated in public fora and in academic articles.This project builds upon two AHRC funded projects. First, Walkerdine et al's research in Abergavenny for the Connected Communities Programme, 'Community as micro-sociality' (2011-12) discovered that Abergavenny as a community is geographically disconnected along north/south fault lines, historically related to class and dislocation. Second, and also attached to the AHRC theme, Mackey et al's project 'Challenging concepts of 'liquid' place through performance practices in community contexts' (2011-14) works with community participants and artists to interrogate people's relationship with their place through performance. The divisions in Abergavenny are marked, from the name given to the area ('The Reservation'), to lack of knowledge by south about the north and vice versa, and the difficulties and differences of being and moving through Abergavenny exhibited by both groups. In this context, provision of community support and services is geographically divided, which roughly equates to a class divide. Uniting these two AHRC projects allows us to approach 'community' as micro sociality and performance in an inclusive manner. Together with representatives from the community groups, we will co-create and co-design a project to identify questions which point to a) how the divisions are experienced and have come about b) how they may be overcome to create provision which is welcoming and supportive of both parts of the community c) draw up plans for a sustainable, communal future, identifying connected and integrated support for community in the light of funding cuts and in spite of historical divisions. This is the agreed starting point and 'hook' for the project. It has been devised through discussion within the steering group as background activity towards this proposal since July. The steering group includes representatives from the two community partners, Communities First North Abergavenny and Abergavenny Community Centre (south Abergavenny) as well as the three research team members and will be joined, in phase two, by members of the local council.Using a synthesis of arts, humanities and social science methods, the steering group are considering a series of site based performance events influenced by historical research to initially uncover the history of division within the town, as told by local residents. This knowledge will lead us to formulate specific questions for phase 2 about, for example, the context, history and current understanding of the town's divisions. These will form the basis for activities in the second phase which we anticipate will enquire more closely into these divisions, begin to ameliorate the situation and lead to developing longer term plans for conjoined resources and communal living - to be shared with local council and government. Because the methods of research have already been discussed in pre-project steering group meetings, we are likely to use primarily performative methods including, for example, walking and mapping techniques, as well as site-based community performance work.What is potentially of great benefit to communities - and researchers - is the question of how to develop a methodology coupling a series of techniques and modes of enquiry, capable of creating inclusive self-directional research by communal members, as well as being underpinned by an alternative, holistic arts based approach to community.