Ty Unnos
2017
A project with Common Ground and National Botanic Garden of Wales for the 800th anniversary of the Charter of the Forest, celebrating the relationship between trees, woods and people.
Tŷ unnos, translated as one night house, is a Welsh folk tradition dating back several hundred years, suggesting that if you are able to build a house on common land in one night, with a fire still burning in the hearth by morning, then the land was rightfully yours. Owen was commissioned in 2017 to work with National Botanic Garden of Wales and Common Ground, a grassroots organisation who have been at the forefront of community conservation and environmental education in England for the last thirty years.
In this spirit, Owen created a structure, shaped by conversations and collaboration with communities who live and work in and around the gardens. The building was constructed in collaboration with volunteers, staff and visitors. Ty Unnos asks what legacy the Charter of the Forest has for people today. Taking inspiration from the original document, it explores what its histories say about current social and cultural disconnection from land. The structure is available for use by visitors to the garden, and is part of their significant art collection. It is also used for Forest School Sessions and as part of their learning programme at the garden.