Homage to Loreleia, solo show
Berwick Gymnasium Gallery
Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland
Saturday 11 June to Sunday 31 July 2011

Homage to Loreleia is the culmination of David Wightman's residency for the Berwick Gymnasium Arts Fellowship, 2010/11 funded by English Heritage and Arts Council England.

The Berwick Gymnasium Arts Fellowships were established in 1993 and were offered annually to professional artists who have demonstrated a consistent commitment to their art practice. The Fellowships are open to all artists; regional, national, and international. The Fellowships are intended to give artists a period of time when they can reflect upon their practice and focus on the development of their work, responding to this extraordinary border town and its coastal location.

Berwick-upon-Tweed stands on the border between Scotland and England in Northumberland. This small, coastal town contains some remarkable architecture. The design of the ramparts and bastions of Berwick were based on a system developed in Italy and presents a town encircled by magnificent sixteenth century walls. In 1717 work began on Nicholas Hawksmoor’s designs for the Ravensdowne Barracks, the first ever to be built for the British army. The Berwick Gymnasium is one of many ancillary buildings built subsequently within the barracks complex and it was completed in 1901. It was used as a gymnasium for the soldiers staying at Berwick.

The historic character of Berwick upon Tweed evolved partly through shipping, the wool trade and fishing. Its character has also been formed by its unique location on the English / Scottish border and this medieval town changed hands many times. It has remained in England since 1482. The Elizabethan fortifications built in response to the continued perceived threat from Scotland are unique in Britain and surround the main core of the town. The fellowships came to an end in 2012.


Previous Fellowship holders

1993  Carole Drake
1994  Emrys Williams
1995  Mike Nelson
1996  Marcus Taylor
1997  Louise Cattrell, Paul Housley
1998  Perminder Kaur, Rosie Snell
1999  Virginia Bodman, Richard Walker, Fiona Crisp
2000  Shona Illingworth, Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva, Daniel Sturgis
2001  James Peel, Uta Kogelsberger, Zoe Walker
2002  Annie Cattrell, Marcus Coates, Geraint Evans
2003  Justin Carter, Tanya Axford, Enrique Jezik
2004  Alistair Gentry, Robert Scheipner, Semiconductor (Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt)
2005  Grennan and Sperandio: The Conversationalists project for Berwick
2006  Nathaniel Mellors, Paul McDevitt, Nicky Coutts
2007  Simon Blakemore, Laura Napier, Urban Art: Anne Peschken and Marek Pisarsky
2008  Jason Minsky, Kim L Pace, William Cobbing
2009  Andro Semeiko, Neil Morley, Henna-Riikki Halonen
2010  David Wightman, Hannah Maybank (fellowship holders 2010/11)