A series of exhibitions using Northumberland's animals to tell stories of community, climate change, migration and identity is set to open across the county.
A Northumberland Menagerie, by visual artist Bethan Maddocks, will be on display at four museums: Woodhorn Museum, Hexham Old Gaol, Berwick Museum and Art Gallery and Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum. Bethan uses paper cut installations to tell unique and untold stories about animals, people and places from across the county.
At Woodhorn Museum, which was recently awarded Bronze for small visitor attraction of the year at the North East Tourism Awards, the colliery's historic cage shop will become a giant beehive with audiences invited to take part in the tradition of 'telling the bees'. This involves sharing important news with the hive, as it was thought telling the bees about significant life events, like births, deaths and marriages would help ward off bad luck.
Read more: Fun-filled family activities you can do in Northumberland this Easter
'Bees, Bees, Hark to Your Bees!' includes a giant beehive book, where visitors can write down their important news to tell the bees. Beeswax carvings will line the windows, and a soundscape by musician Bridie Jackson will play folk songs and tales from local beekeepers.
Bethan said: "Many of the characteristics and traits we associate with coalfield communities; like working as one, togetherness, and camaraderie, can be seen in the animal kingdom. Woodhorn Colliery operated like a giant beehive, with everyone working together, and I wanted to capture that sense of community in my artwork."
"I’ve used different animals found across the county to help tell the story of each exhibition. They symbolise broader themes including migration, the environment, gender, and class, which are all important issues today, and an important part of Northumberland’s history."
At Berwick Museum and Art Gallery, ' Of the Sea and Of the Sky, ' explores themes of trade and export and how greed has led to the loss of species. A giant paper cut Twelfth Night Pie symbolises the original 12 stone pie baked by Howick Castle's housekeeper Mrs Dorothy Patterson, in 1770, that was filled with 'four geese, four turkeys, two rabbits, four wild ducks, two woodcocks, six snipes, four partridges, tow neat's tongues, two curlews, seven blackbirds and six pigeons,' with a flock of paper cut birds escaping from the pie to seek their freedom.
There will also be a chandelier of spinning paper birds and sea creatures including salmon and herring casting shadow against the walls circling a single light to represent the many lighthouses of the Northumberland coast. The installation aims to celebrate the biodiversity of the Berwickshire coast and the impact mass consumption has on natural resources and the environment.
At Hexham Old Gaol, ' Over Familiars ,' which takes its name from a 'witch's familiar,' a supernatural entity believed to accompany witches that often took the form of an animal, such as a black cat, looks at stories of witchcraft, trials and incarceration in Northumberland and the animals connected to them. This exhibition, inspired by the story of the Witch of Seaton Sluice, explores gender and class inequality within the walls of Hexham Old Gaol, where being rich could transform your incarceration to a more comfortable stay.
Let us know what you're looking forward to seeing in the comments below
Lastly, the Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum will host 'Thou shalt have a fishie, When the boat come in,' exploring the county's fishing and folk traditions through local songs and lyrics held in the Northumbrian Minstrelsy. There'll be a giant school of papercut fish swimming through the building's beams, with lines from the folk songs creating the waves to propel said fish.
Rowan Brown, Chief Executive of Museums Northumberland, said: “Whilst Bethan has exhibited at Woodhorn Museum before, this will be the first time her work has been on display across all four of our sites. Her highly intricate artworks, which often use paper, light and fabrics, always have a commending presence and wow audiences young and old.
"A Northumberland Menagerie is a beautiful exhibition that uses animals and the natural world to address important issues in our society and share stories from Northumberland’s past."
A Northumberland Menagerie opens at Woodhorn Museum, Hexham Old Gaol, Berwick Museum and Art Gallery and Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum on Saturday April 9 and runs until Sunday October 30. For more information, including individual museum opening times and entry prices, click here.
