Our Wic

Something exciting is coming to Berwick-upon-Tweed this summer! 

In advance of this year’s crowning of a new Tweed Salmon Queen, we’re presenting a brand new exhibition and interactive installation by artist Lucy Wright and contemporary arts agency Arts&Heritage celebrating Berwick-upon-Tweed’s long history of transitional culture.

Our Wic

Our Wic, which takes its name from the Anglo Saxon word for ‘dwelling’ and is inspired by the crowning of the Tweed Salmon Queen, will see a new exhibition of photography celebrating other ‘kings and queens’ of Berwick.

Each nominated member of the community in Berwick will be photographed wearing one of six bespoke crowns created by local artists in the town.

Running alongside the photography exhibition will be an immersive installation where visitors can crown themselves king or queen of their domain. Inspired by the elaborately decorated homemade dais of the May Queen and Rose Queen celebrations across the North, and referencing the famous Palazzo Reale in Torino, an elaborate throne room will invite residents and visitors to lay claim to their own territory by wearing the bronze ‘Our Wic’ crown created by Lucy.

Sculpted using the buildings and landscapes of town, and referencing local folklore traditions, the crown signifies Berwick’s unique position in the Debatable Lands – an area historically disputed and subject to multiple changes of identity across time.

Celebrating local traditions and history

Lucy said: “I want to explore the differences between official and informal ‘folk’ narratives of place. This kind of unofficial geography exists everywhere; we each have our own relationships to the spaces we inhabit, however Berwick’s location in the Debatable Lands – belonging variously to the Kingdoms of England and Scotland at different times in history – makes it especially rich in individual interpretations.

“At the same time, I’ve always had an interest in the northern British tradition of crowning Kings and Queens of industry, like the Tweedmouth Salmon Queen. As one of a relatively small number of seasonal folk practices to centre women and girls, there’s sometimes a perception that these are rather outdated – an extension of the 1970s beauty pageant, perhaps, rewarding female subservience and conformity.

“But for me, these ‘community crownings’ are more about asserting an alternative identity for a place, and claiming our own heroes and heroines as acts of everyday resistance. The idea is to demonstrate how the same place can mean different things to different people and how the unique stories we create with our lives are worthy of celebration in the place we call home.”

How to find out more

We’ll be sharing more information soon. Sign up to our newsletter or follow us on social media to learn more about ‘Our Wic’ and how you can be crowned king or queen for the day.

 

Our Wic is funded and commissioned by Create Berwick and delivered by contemporary arts agency Arts&Heritage and leading Northern artist Lucy Wright.