Of the Sea and Of the Sky

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Berwick Museum and Art Gallery, 2022

Commissioned by Museums Northumberland as part of Northumberland Menagerie; a series of five simultaneous exhibitions across historic sites.

Exhibited in an 18th-century barracks on the border town of Berwick, ‘Of the Sea and Of the Sky’ shone a spotlight on the rich diversity of Berwick’s borderland coast and explored connected themes of migration, national identity and local ecosystems. Visitors could follow the journeys of migratory birds through an evolving installation of flags and discover a papercut re-imagining of an extraordinary historic Regency-era pastry, once described as ‘perhaps the oddest consignment from Berwick Quayside’. In the main gallery space a spot-lit centerpiece encircled visitors within a swirling mass of birds and fish that underpinned Berwick’s fishing and tourism industries.

Film by Jason Thompson, Photography by Colin Davison With thanks to Jona Aal for technical and construction assistance, artist assistance by Amber Zamani-Esskeli, Catriona Maddocks and Rémi Bec and curatorial support from Liz Ritson and Paramjit Khaira