Read all about it…. The UK has its very own Astralship!
As soon as we discovered this abandoned chapel turned creative space, we had to find out more, especially with a rather enticing slogan describing itself as: “an optimized vehicle for the human consciousness to change the game.”
Round the World Magazine caught up with Em from the Astralship collective to find out what the ship is, where it is heading and what’s on board…
The Astralship
By Emma Girbech
The Astralship is a unique place, to say the least. The first night I arrived, we sat down for dinner. Before it was served, someone passed resident John ’88’ Bargman a whole lemon, rind and all. Without missing a beat, he ate the whole thing. No-one batted an eyelid.
I realised pretty quickly after that, that here, anything goes. Everyone at the ship is free to be wholly and completely yourself with no judgement, no questioning.
The first night Jane arrived, it was forecast to snow big time the next day. Another resident decided he wanted to go skiing. There was no question over making this happen. He 3D printed himself the attachments for some wooden planks to create skis and headed out to test them the next day. It was a great success and the perfect introduction to the ship for Jane. Any ideas go here, you have to be very careful of what you suggest, because it will become a reality.
Early in her stay, Jane learned this lesson the hard way. There was an abundance of birthday cake, so she made a casual suggestion, entirely joking; she said that it would be funny if a couple of people smeared themselves in cake and wrestled.
She was shocked when moments later, floodlights, a tarpaulin and filming equipment were fetched. The cake fight is still one of my favourite memories of this place. I sat to one side, eating my dinner and overflowing with love for the wildness, the freedom that this place embodies (although we’re still working on getting the stars of this video to let us share it with the Internet).
The Astralship Makerspace
The Astralship, which is on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, is a Makerspace.
This is a concept that I was not aware of before I arrived here. Makerspaces are places where people with shared interests come together to work on projects.
They share ideas, equipment and knowledge, usually focusing on computing and technology. Some are residential, such as the Astralship, others are not.
They exist all over the world and often work together, both in real life and online. There are people all over the country and world working alongside the residents of the Astralship.
It is not unheard of for people to spend their time travelling between makerspaces, gathering skills, contacts and experiences. Undoubtedly, this is a unique and fascinating way to see the world.
The Astralship houses a proportion of the people that make up the Astralship Collective. We are a group of engineers, artists and innovators focused on creativity, collaboration and development.
Our work encompasses technology, education, communication and sustainability. We have a particular focus on environmentally-conscious alternative technology that promotes social justice.
Our projects uplift people from disadvantaged backgrounds. We aim to make science and technology more accessible to everyone and engage with people who might otherwise be excluded from these fields. This includes being proponents of Welsh language, culture and the local community.
The organisation includes, but is not limited to, people who work in 3D printing, coding, game development and engineering, alongside those who provide Energy Healing.
The Astralship Projects
The ideas that are born in this place are like no other. Every mealtime seems to become a brainstorming session of sci-fi fantasies that seem unattainable. Days later, you will be shocked to see them coming to fruition.
Previous projects the Collective has worked on include a Virtual Reality Welsh language learning game, Artificial Intelligence robots with the intention of autonomising small-scale sustainable farming methods and an independent documentary about sustainable farming and soil health.
Prior to the pandemic, live music was regularly hosted at the ship, including psytrance nights with well-known names and Welsh language folk music. The acoustics of a disused and repurposed chapel make the perfect setting for this.
The Collective also has many projects currently in the works. This includes the conversion of a horsebox into a Mobile Makerspace. This will be equipped with loads of technology to bring science and engineering to small towns and villages in North Wales.
We are also in the very early stages of the Crimson Wave Project. This will involve educating people in an unbiased around reproductive health, LGBTQIA+ friendly manner, while 3D printing custom-made menstrual cups at an affordable price.
More information about this project will be appearing on the Astralship Blog soon. A couple of residents have started their own earring line, Jaylin 3D, using the resin 3D printer to print their designs.
More VR work is being developed and the 3D printers are always running to create requested items for local people. We are creating a technology, science and art focused e-magazine. We are working on establishing a second Astralship in another disused chapel in North Wales.
The people who live and work in this magical place often also have personal projects that they work on alongside working on projects of the Collective. For example, we have various resident artists and writers, including myself.
Another aspect of living at the Chapel that dear to my heart is skill sharing. I for one have learned more than I could have dreamed since I arrived. Some of these are new creative skills, but also technology skills and other skills that I never thought I’d be able to learn.
Community Living
Living in a community is almost entirely new to me. I have been interested to read that in the UK, there has been a gradual move of people towards communal living. ‘Intentional communities’ are growing in popularity, potentially at least in part due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Perhaps this is because people are realising the lack of human connection in their lives. Perhaps this is because people are learning more about living simply.
Intentional communities are often centered around a certain worldview or characteristic, such as veganism or LGBTQIA+ communities.
Many have existed since the 1960s and 1970s, many of them have fought successfully for social justice and political change.
They are often farming communities, self-sufficient or have the goal to be so. Many are involved in eco-movements. Extinction Rebellion are known to have been encouraging people to move towards this way of life.
They are proponents of localising resources to aid us in whatever the future might bring.
Living in communities is far from a new idea, of course. Ancient tribes have existed all over the world, since the dawn of humanity. Many still exist now, such as the Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania.
I will never forget seeing a video, years ago, of these people approaching a group of feeding lions, successfully intimidating them into abandoning their kill.
Also, the Envira Region tribe on the thickly-rainforested border of Brazil and Peru. They are one of very few uncontacted tribes left on Earth, of whom the iconic and somehow chilling photo was taken a few years ago.
These people are often driven to the fringes of an ever-industrialising world. They are threatened by our industrial existence in many ways, include climate change and deforestation, which provide a serious threat to the landscape and eco-systems that they live in harmony with.
It is fundamental that their land and their ways of life are protected. This is how we have evolved to live, how we live in the industrialised world is such a far cry from what is natural. We suffer because of this disparity.
The Astralship Community
I know for one that I felt the partial resolution of this disparity upon arriving at the Chapel. The closest I have felt to this at home was in my first year of University, living in a big block of flats with a solid group of friends.
Living in this communal setting feels like a small part of my soul returning to an old way of life. It feels like an ancient, ancestral void inside me has been filled, a void I did not even know existed prior to this. I know that others have this experience.
People are always arriving, talking of plans to move on in a few weeks. But before they know it, it’s been months and they can hardly imagine leaving.
Here, this phenomenon is affectionately called the ‘Astral Vortex’. Consciously or not, I am sure their ancestral voids have also been at least somewhat filled. I understand and relate to the reluctance to part with this feeling.
I would recommend to anyone that they get in touch with their local makerspace. Especially if you are a creative, adventurous type who is open to ideas and collaboration.
Everyone is also always welcome to get in touch with us at the Astralship, through our website or our social media channels.
If you haven’t already, I could not recommend enough finding yourself a community to be a part of. This doesn’t have to be as dramatic as quitting your job and disappearing off to the mountains to live in an abandoned, renovated Chapel (although this is something I highly recommend doing).
Maybe just an art group or a music group or a group of people who like to drink the same beer or read the same books. Trust me, you will feel the benefit. It is something that all of us inherently need.
How do I Contact the Astralship?
You can reach the Astralship team via their website or social media accounts on Facebook
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