On-site/Off-site: Thomas Bewick and contemporary art at National Trust Cherryburn.
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Sch of Arts and Cultures
Abstract
This Impact and Engagement project seeks to address two key issues:
- the long-term legacy of, and access to, temporary site-specific art commissions
- the potential of digital space for audience development within the heritage sector.
Working with the National Trust's historic property and collection at Cherryburn, the birthplace of Thomas Bewick, and our new partner, The Bewick Society, this project seeks to address the issues of legacy, access and audience development through two strands of work. Firstly, two artworks created as part of the MCAHE project by Marcus Coates and Mark Fairington in 2018-19 will be revisited to create digitally accessible versions. This looks to demonstrate the potential of digital forms of contemporary art and dissemination which, in turn, has the capacity to generate new audiences and make commissioned artworks more accessible. Secondly, we will work with the Bewick Society to create a new digital-first artwork that follows the intentions of the original MCAHE artists' commission brief for Cherryburn. This born-digital work seeks to demonstrate an alternative commissioning and dissemination approach, which again might appeal to and help to develop different audiences. The experiences of this project will be shared at a project symposium designed to stimulate discussion and debate within the wider contemporary art, digital, heritage and museum communities around the value and future development of digital platforms for the preservation, representation and creation of site-specific art practice. The symposium will be delivered in partnership with the sector support organisation Arts&Heritage.
Why is this needed?
There has been a significant increase in the number of artworks being commissioned for heritage sites, and the the sites commissioning work have become increasingly varied - from country houses to historic waterways. Major schemes have emerged, such as the National Trust's 'Trust New Art' programme which between 2009-2019 commissioned over 300 artists for 150 of its properties. Despite this, until recently there was very little research on the practice of commissioning contemporary art for heritage or on its impact for artists, heritage sites and audiences. The AHRC funded Mapping Contemporary Art in Heritage (MCAHE) project (https://research.ncl.ac.uk/mcahe/) addressed this gap. MCAHE (2017-2020) was an interdisciplinary, practice-led research project that examined the role, scope and practice of commissioning contemporary art within heritage properties in the UK. The project brought together the knowledge and experience of academics, artists, heritage professionals, volunteers and visitors. Focused on a series of practice-led case studies which involved the creation of six new artworks for four heritage properties in the North East, key findings of the research included that contemporary art commissions could attract new audiences, provide important opportunities for artists to expand their practice, and can play an important role in public understanding of history. That said, it became clear that temporary site-specific art commissions tend to be poorly documented and have limited legacy. This is important for heritage organisations because commissioning contemporary art can be a resource intensive process, in terms of time and money, and yet its impact can be shortlived. It also has access implications in that only those who can physically visit the heritage site can engage with the artwork. These issues are particularly pertinent for heritage sites that might have limited opening hours or limited space.
What are the benefits?
By enhancing impact and dissemination this project will:
- impact commissioning practices to consider legacy, accessibility & digital
- further expand artists' practice
- develop new audiences and enhance access
- create better return on investment for those commissioning contemporary art.
- the long-term legacy of, and access to, temporary site-specific art commissions
- the potential of digital space for audience development within the heritage sector.
Working with the National Trust's historic property and collection at Cherryburn, the birthplace of Thomas Bewick, and our new partner, The Bewick Society, this project seeks to address the issues of legacy, access and audience development through two strands of work. Firstly, two artworks created as part of the MCAHE project by Marcus Coates and Mark Fairington in 2018-19 will be revisited to create digitally accessible versions. This looks to demonstrate the potential of digital forms of contemporary art and dissemination which, in turn, has the capacity to generate new audiences and make commissioned artworks more accessible. Secondly, we will work with the Bewick Society to create a new digital-first artwork that follows the intentions of the original MCAHE artists' commission brief for Cherryburn. This born-digital work seeks to demonstrate an alternative commissioning and dissemination approach, which again might appeal to and help to develop different audiences. The experiences of this project will be shared at a project symposium designed to stimulate discussion and debate within the wider contemporary art, digital, heritage and museum communities around the value and future development of digital platforms for the preservation, representation and creation of site-specific art practice. The symposium will be delivered in partnership with the sector support organisation Arts&Heritage.
Why is this needed?
There has been a significant increase in the number of artworks being commissioned for heritage sites, and the the sites commissioning work have become increasingly varied - from country houses to historic waterways. Major schemes have emerged, such as the National Trust's 'Trust New Art' programme which between 2009-2019 commissioned over 300 artists for 150 of its properties. Despite this, until recently there was very little research on the practice of commissioning contemporary art for heritage or on its impact for artists, heritage sites and audiences. The AHRC funded Mapping Contemporary Art in Heritage (MCAHE) project (https://research.ncl.ac.uk/mcahe/) addressed this gap. MCAHE (2017-2020) was an interdisciplinary, practice-led research project that examined the role, scope and practice of commissioning contemporary art within heritage properties in the UK. The project brought together the knowledge and experience of academics, artists, heritage professionals, volunteers and visitors. Focused on a series of practice-led case studies which involved the creation of six new artworks for four heritage properties in the North East, key findings of the research included that contemporary art commissions could attract new audiences, provide important opportunities for artists to expand their practice, and can play an important role in public understanding of history. That said, it became clear that temporary site-specific art commissions tend to be poorly documented and have limited legacy. This is important for heritage organisations because commissioning contemporary art can be a resource intensive process, in terms of time and money, and yet its impact can be shortlived. It also has access implications in that only those who can physically visit the heritage site can engage with the artwork. These issues are particularly pertinent for heritage sites that might have limited opening hours or limited space.
What are the benefits?
By enhancing impact and dissemination this project will:
- impact commissioning practices to consider legacy, accessibility & digital
- further expand artists' practice
- develop new audiences and enhance access
- create better return on investment for those commissioning contemporary art.
| Title | 'Good Morning Mr Bewick' by Mark Fairnington (digital experience created in collaboration with Mnemoscene), 2023 |
| Description | For this digital commission, Fairnington has re-presented his original 2018 Cherryburn installation, 'Walking, Looking and Telling Tales', in the form of conversation between himself and Thomas Bewick. Weaving together images from Fairnington's own paintings with details from Bewick's prints, this new online art experience follows the two artists in a speculative dialogue about their work, inspiration, and interest in nature and landscape, across the centuries. 'Good Morning Mr Bewick' was produced as part of the On-site/Off-site project, led by Newcastle University in partnership with the Bewick Society and the National Trust with support from Arts&Heritage. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Evaluation currently underway |
| URL | https://www.goodmorningmrbewick.com/ |
| Title | 'Video Conference for the Birds', by Marcus Coates, film, 2023 |
| Description | For On-Site/Off-Site, Marcus Coates revisited his original artwork 'Conference for the Birds', which was on-site at Cherryburn in 2019 and returned again in 2023 as an audio installation. In this new digital work, Coates has gathered the birds together once again to conduct their discussion onscreen. Coates explains: "Thomas Bewick used wood engraving because the medium suited his extraordinary drawing skills. But, importantly it also enabled printing costs to be lower than more modern techniques, meaning his books were affordable to more of the population and therefore knowledge of the natural world was able to become more widely known for the first time. This desire to bring the natural world to a wider audience resonates with me, this is part of the motivation for re-presenting this work in a digital form. Also Bewick was a keen observer of mankind as well as the natural world, he celebrated the 'life of his age', offering depictions of human traits and traditions in his 'tail' pieces, bringing these worlds together in his books. 'Video Conference for the Birds', 2023 attempts to do this also, to give insight into both the perspectives of the human and the bird world." 'Video Conference for the Birds' was produced as part of the On-site/Off-site project, led by Newcastle University in partnership with the Bewick Society, National Trust and Arts&Heritage. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Film © Marcus Coates, 2023. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Reported online and in press. Metrics currently being gathered on viewing figures. Evaluation is currently ongoing. |
| URL | https://research.ncl.ac.uk/on-site-off-site/re-presentations/videoconferenceforthebirds/ |
| Title | Against the Grain by Ruth Ewan |
| Description | Against the Grain is a multi-part artwork exploring the friendship between Thomas Bewick and Thomas Spence. The key element is an audio essay exploring the friendship between Thomas Bewick and Thomas Spence who met in 18th century Newcastle. It presents both men as innovative artists; one whose legacy was protected, the other whose ideas were obliterated. It invites listeners to see Bewick as a political animal and discover the obscured figure of Spence, an essential and provocative voice from the past. The second component is 'Sleeve Notes', a two-page document maps out the timeline of Bewick and Spence's entangled lives, the revolutionary moments they lived through and their lasting legacies. The notes also list references and production credits for Against the Grain .This features a quote from Spence "Sing and meet and meet and sing and your chains will drop off like burnt thread." Written in Krusonean, the quote was translated using Spence's phonetic dictionary and written using a typeface created for this project. Spence created the new alphabet and dictionary in 1774 to ease English pronunciation for non-native speakers and for deaf people. This is discussed in more detail in the Against the Grain audio essay. The final element is a song, originally by Ed Pickford this song, written as a tribute to Thomas Spence, has been reimagined by Keeley Forsyth and Ross Downes and recorded to accompany Against the Grain. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Currently being evaluated |
| URL | https://www.ruthewan.com/against-the-grain/ |
| Title | Avi-Alarm, Hanna Tuulikki with Saturn Akin and MV Brown, instagram filters, 2023 |
| Description | In 'Avi-Alarm', multimedia artist Hanna Tuulikki draws on Thomas Bewick's work to create a series of new Instagram filters which turn five of the UK's most threatened bird species - the capercaillie, curlew, puffin, lapwing and mistle thrush - into Instagram influencers. The filters, made in collaboration with digital artists Saturn Akin and MV Brown, transform social media users into a human/bird hybrid. The filters are embedded with alarm calls which translate each bird's alarm signal into protest chants, fusing field recordings with the human voice to sound a red alert for bird life through a cacophony of human and avian harmony. As Tuulikki explains: "Bewick is celebrated for his engravings, in particular of birds, as well as his technical innovation in print making, and in his day, he was also known for his radical politics. Many species which appear in his 'A History of British Birds' books are now threatened by climate chaos and ecological degradation, with a shocking 70 species included on the UK red list. As I learned about his work and life, I began to wonder how he would respond to the devastating biodiversity loss we are experiencing today. If Bewick were alive now, would he be a contemporary eco-activist? Would he embrace digital technologies and take to social media as a tool for communication and protest?" Filters available on Hanna Tuulikki's Instagram page @Hanna_Tuulikki and read more about the making of the project on Tuulikki's website. 'Avi-Alarm' credits: Artist, composer and voice: Hanna Tuulikki @hanna_tuulikki 3D designer: Saturn Akin @saturn_akin Digital designer: MV Brown @m_v_brown @mvbrownmakeup Final sound mix and mastering: Tommy Perman @surfacepressure 'Avi-Alarm'was commissioned by The Bewick Society and Newcastle University, in partnership with the National Trust and Arts&Heritage. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Instagram filters © Hannah Tuulikki, 2023 |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Currently being evaluated |
| URL | https://research.ncl.ac.uk/on-site-off-site/newcommissions/avi-alarm/ |
| Description | The overarching finding from this project is that there are key benefits for heritage sites in engaging with digital platforms and multi-media ways of art-making, especially in terms of audience development and engagement. This, however, must be supported and enabled by wrap-around support and a developed media and communications strategy. For artists who do not usually work collaboratively or with digital ways of making, the experience did stretch their practice. While the budgets and timescales on this project necessarily limited the scope of the work possible, there are indications that the digital is opening out ways for artists to challenge and change their practice. Also that there were potential gains through collaborations between artists and digital companies. For those commissioning contemporary art on-site a digital component off-site can extend the reach of on-site work and engage new audiences but commissioners might have to consider the target audience as different platforms, means of access and digital forms appeal to different audiences - what is comfortable to one might seem outdated to another. For audiences the digital provides a convenient way of accessing artworks but they unanimously did not want to engage with technologies that they use in their everyday lives. The desire was for new and unexpected experiences, rather than innovative use of familiar technology. The digital did prove a positive means of engaging with new knowledge and several of those involved undertook additional research into, in this instance, Thomas Bewick as a result of encountering the work. This suggests that the digital has the potential to develop new audiences for heritage organisations. It was not possible to ascertain within the duration of this project whether this will translate into on-site visitors. Essential to maximising the reach and profile of off-site work is specialist digital marketing, press and communications. Within the noisy world of social media, and across various platforms, having a clear and sustained voice, using, for example, teasers and profile raising prior to 'launch' is crucial. Creating that launch moment that is experienced in an on-site launch is more challenging within a digital environment but desired, and therefore any communications plan should take this into account. For large institutions this is something their press & communications units might be able to support but for smaller organisations the budget ask of this should not be underestimated. Commissioning off-site is not a cheap alternative to on-site commissioning. For particularly innovative work that embraces, for example coding, AR or VR, budgets must allow for the time taken to experiment with technologies and for collaboration where required. As such, the cost can be equivalent to, or more than, realising works on-site, particularly if bespoke press and communications support has to be factored in. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes of this research are currently informing the AHRC-funded networking project being led by Farley around international commissioning in contemporary art and heritage. They are also informing the development of current commissioning strategies in heritage sites in Northumberland. The findings are likely to be useful to the heritage sector and heritage sites interested in contemporary art commissioning. For the artists involved it also has provided insightful in different ways and is likely to inform future practice. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://research.ncl.ac.uk/on-site-off-site/ |
| Description | The thinking around how the digital might provide a legacy for on-site artworks has resulted in some internal, QPSRF funding for investigation into how digital re-presentations of works might then become part of the 'collections' held by a heritage site, working particularly with the National Trust. This is with a view to influencing property and organisational collections policy. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Policy & public services |
| Description | Networking international and transnational approaches to contemporary art in heritage practice. |
| Amount | £35,890 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/X010910/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2023 |
| End | 01/2025 |
| Description | Newcastle University and National Trust |
| Organisation | National Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Supporting commissioning and realisation of artwork by Ruth Ewan, particularly artist support and managing commissioning process |
| Collaborator Contribution | Supporting the realisation of artwork by Ruth Ewan |
| Impact | Ruth Ewan, Against the Grain, multi-part artwork, 2024 Hanna Tuulikki, Avi-Alarm, 2023 Mark Fairnington, Good Morning Mr Bewick, 2023 Marcus Coates, Video Conference for the Birds, 2023 |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Artist talk: Hanna Tuulikki |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Artist talk delivered by Hanna Tuulikki as part of the Bartlett Series of Artist Lectures within Fine Art at Newcastle University but open to a public audience. Focused on Tuulikki's practice and the 'Avi-Alarm' artwork. Sparked discussion and debate. Several students signed up for tutorials with the artist following the talk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Symposium: On-Site/Off-Site: Thomas Bewick and Contemporary Art |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Online symposium involving project team, commissioners, artists and sector professionals. Included a mix of presentations, debates and Q&A discussion using the project as catalyst. Attended by around 50 people. Has informed thinking and discussion in AHRC-funded international networking project for which Farley is PI. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |