Inspired by the 12th – 14th Century religious communities in and around Berwick, Gareth Hudson & Toby Thirling have been exploring ideas of the sacred in contemporary Berwick life. Along with composer Eleanor Cully Boehringer, many local choirs and a new community choir they have created and recorded a new choral motet. This will form part of a monumental sound and light installation featuring columns of light, driven into the sky, from the depths of winter.
Over the past months Gareth and Toby have explored the Tweed estuary, making field recordings and meeting with local people to discuss their interpretations of the sacred. Meanwhile, Eleanor has been working on the three movements of the new motet, drawing on imagery of the natural landscape captured in recorded conversations with residents of Berwick, as well as the historic and sacred music of the area.
Light up Berwick!
Gareth Hudson is an Artist, Filmmaker and video installation artist from County Durham, based in Newcastle. He Lectures in Fine Art, Photography and Film Making and has exhibited work in over 60 shows and festivals across 25 countries.
Toby Thirling is a sound recordist and sound artist from County Durham based on the South Coast; he works with award winning creatives alongside global brands, channels and production companies. They have collaborated for a decade, using cultural immersion and co-creational practices, to create installations that speak to the contemporary sublime, spiritual or transcendent experience, exploring the liminal spaces where one can encounter the numinous.
Eleanor Cully Boehringer is an artist and award-winning composer with a diverse artistic practice encompassing composition, performance, sound art, curation and installation. She has composed for ensembles across the UK including BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia, An Assembly and Musarc experimental choir. Eleanor studied Musical Performance at Brunel University, London and holds a Master’s degree in Composition from the University of Huddersfield. Originally from Norwich, she currently resides in Newcastle upon Tyne where she composes, teaches and collaborates with artists and community groups. Eleanor composes music drawing from poetic text, fragments of song, imitation and imagined sound.