Berwick-upon-Tweed

Saturday 13th of September 2014

10am-4pm

The timing of this event was  planned to enable cultural exchange and dialogue between by artists working across the Border between England and Scotland. It was timed to coincide with the Independence Referendum which happened a few days later on the 18th of September 2014, as we felt that the critical creative dialogue that took place prior to the Referendum was a fertile ground for cultural exchange.

The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and its people, have a complex or problematic identity. Local people are often known as Berwickians, rather than English or Scottish.  The walk focused on the natural and man made environment en route, and the cultural context of the area, including some of the monuments and cultural symbols of the town’s changing status and explored the importance of both natural markers and ‘jurisdictional lines’ in relation to self-identification.

This event also considered the power of walking as a means of unfolding the complex histories and cultures of an area such as this located firmly in the border region.

The circular walk will took place on Saturday 13th of September in Berwick-upon-Tweed, starting at 10am from the main car park next to Berwick Parish Church and  finished at 4pm. The walk was be led by artist and academic Mike Collier and natural historian Keith Bowey, who often collaborate on projects (WALK). Along the route we picnicked on the wall and finished with a broader discussion in a nearby café.

This event was open to artists and practitioners of any form interested in engaging with the themes of the walk in relation to their practice.  

WALK leaders’ biographies:

Dr. Mike Collier’s (Reader, University of Sunderland) work combines a fascination with wildlife, landscape and walking. He is a writer, curator and teacher. As a teacher he co-supervises PhD students and teaches at post-graduate (MA in Curating) and undergraduate (Fine Art) levels.  As a curator he has initiated and coordinated a number of major exhibitions of contemporary art.  In 2013, he curated a show (‘Walk On’) on art-walking in the north east of England which is now touring Britain.  He recently worked (as artist and curator) on a project linking visual art to the poetry of the Japanese Haiku master-poet Basho comparing this with that of Wordsworth for a summer 2014 exhibition in Dove Cottage (home of the Wordsworth Trust) and Gallery Fleur in Kyoto, Japan.

Keith Bowey has over 30 years experience working in nature conservation and the field of ecology. Between 2004 and 2009 he managed the north east of England’s highest profile wildlife project, the multi-award winning Northern Kites Project.   He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CMIEEM), a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts (FRSA) and a Millennium Fellow.   In 2010, he was awarded the title of regional Biodiversity Champion by the OPAL awards programme. He is also one of the region’s best known ornithologists.

Inge Panneels is CABN’s Advocate for Crafts and has been a creative practitioner since 1998, working in her chosen medium of glass under the company name Idagos, designing and making architectural and sculptural glass works for private and corporate clients. As such she has straddled the fields of crafts and public art. She is also currently chair of Applied Arts Scotland.  Her clients have included NHS, Lloyds TSB, Scottish Executive, Clackmannanshire Council and Scottish Borders Council. Working within both the private and public sector, engaging client groups, conducting extensive consultation and research, and collaboration are fundamental to her way of working. Inge’s work is represented in international collections;Museum of Liverpool,Ebeltoft Glass Museum (Denmark), the Flemish Government, Belfius/Dexia collection (Brussels). She also teaches part-time at The National Glass Centre,University of Sunderland, as a senior lecturer and researcher with an interest in mapping as a means of investigating ‘place’ and ‘space’