Walking Looking and Telling Tales

Mark Fairnington was commissioned to make a new series of paintings to be exhibited at Cherryburn an English Heritage property that is the birthplace of artist and printmaker Thomas Bewick.

The paintings were commissioned to reflect the place, the landscape and the work of Bewick, best known for his natural history books including A History of British Birds published in 1797.

The new paintings include miniature landscapes that look at the countryside of Bewick from a contemporary viewpoint. While our human presence today is evident in these images, the making of the paintings is fuelled by the same pleasure in examining the natural world that inspired Bewick 200 years ago. The works are on show as an installation in the bedroom in the cottage.

You can follow the making of these new paintings at –
http://walkinglookingandtellingtales.com/

'Walking Looking and Telling Tales' is part of Mapping Contemporary Art in the Heritage Experience (MCAHE) a three-year collaborative research project (2017-2019) investigating the value and practice of siting contemporary visual art in heritage sites.

Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council the project is conducted by a team of researchers based at Newcastle and Leeds Universities, working in partnership with the National Trust, English Heritage, Arts & Heritage, The Churches Conservation Trust, the Contemporary Visual Art Network and Arts Council England.

A key part of the project is the creation of four new temporary art commissions for three of the North East’s most distinctive heritage properties: Cherryburn in Northumberland; Gibside in Gateshead and Holy Trinity Church in Sunderland.

The new artworks were presented on-site at the three heritage properties in summer 2018. As research case studies, each artwork will be appraised by focus groups including National Trust volunteers and first-time visitors to heritage properties. The artists themselves worked with the research team to explore how their creative process is challenged by working with new partners in the heritage sector.

The aim of the research is to test how contemporary art sited in heritage properties can change the experience of visitors, how it impacts on heritage organisations, including their staff and volunteers, and how it can change the working practices and professional lives of artists.

Bold claims are often made by funding agencies and heritage organisations for the value of commissioning contemporary art – but they have never been rigorously tested. The research will be important in guiding future investment in the arts.

The research will also map the current ‘landscape’ of contemporary art in heritage sites, investigating its geographical spread within England and Wales, and the network of artists, curators, sites and organisations involved.

The project will be documented through a website which will build into a rich resource for curators, the public, artists, students and researchers who want to find out more about the production and consumption of contemporary artworks commissioned for heritage locations.

An exhibition at the Hatton Gallery at Newcastle University and a major conference are planned for 2019 that will include work and presentations from all the commissioned artists.

• http://walkinglookingandtellingtales.com
• http://research.ncl.ac.uk/mcahe