Five artists have now been commissioned to take up an ambitious programme of residencies and commissions throughout the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed for the rest of 2025 and into Spring 2026. Following the huge success of Matthew Rosier’s Berwick Parade, we hope that you are just as excited as we are about what’s to come.
Chosen from over 100 applications, Beth J Ross, Caroline Jupp, Cath Campbell, Gareth Hudson and Lewis Hetherington will spend the coming months developing new work which will be displayed in various locations across the town. Projects will incorporate a range of disciplines, including visual artists and writers.
They will explore a range of themes, including heritage and how it is reinterpreted, past and present architecture and underrepresented stories from Berwick’s archives, as well as the place of folklore and the sacred in contemporary life.
The legacy of Berwick Shines programme will support a long-term engagement with the Barracks site, museum collections and archives. This is an exciting multi-partner project, and while the development of the Barracks site is taking place, artists will undertake residencies and commissions inspired by the extensive heritage collections of the Berwick and the Barracks, which will be presented across the town.
Berwick Shines is the Living Barracks Cultural Engagement programme delivered by The Maltings (Berwick) Trust and supported by the Cultural Development Fund, a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) fund administered by Arts Council England.
Matthew Rosier: Berwick Parade
Matthew Rosier brought the community of Berwick into the parade ground of Berwick Barracks for a outdoor spectacular, where they were the stars.
Beth J Ross: Her Extraordinary Colours
Beth J Ross is working with a local group to explore women’s contributions to the history and present of Berwick. This will form the basis of a series of new flags designed to be flown around Berwick and the surrounding area.
Caroline Jupp: The Sci-fi Scriptorium
Caroline Jupp is inspired by the Lindisfarne Scriptorium to consider what such a space could be today and in the future, alongside the writers and readers of Berwick.
Cath Campbell: The Lost Ornament
Cath Campbell goes in search of the lost ornamentation in Nicholas Hawksmoor’s design of Berwick Barracks. During her residency Campbell will uncover layers of ornamentation beyond architecture.
Gareth Hudson and Toby Thirling: Residency and Commission
Inspired by the 12th – 14th Century religious communities in and around Berwick, Gareth Hudson & Toby Thirling will explore ideas of the sacred in contemporary Berwick life. This will feed into a monumental sound and light installation.
Lewis Hetherington: Residency and Commission
Lewis Hetherington will work with local people to explore the physical, cultural, and historical experiences of edges, in-between spaces, and borders. The project will culminate in a spectacular community-led pageant marking the Spring equinox in March 2026.