Delivered by Karen MacDougall Art, working with English Heritage and Northumberland National Park
Frontier Voices is an Arts based creative exploration of perceptions of Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage sites and landscape. Participants are diverse groups and communities all along the Wall and some of Europe’s Roman Frontiers. This is a learning and engagement project creating artistic outcomes and sharing experiences. At the Birdoswald we invite Wall volunteers to participate over a 2 day period 3-4th September 2022. This project is supported by Arts Council England National Lottery Funding and we are grateful for their support. It is also part of the HW1900 festival.
Artist Karen MacDougall has created a fantastic project for Birdoswald – Banners for Banna! Working with participants who know the Wall we will explore it using words and images generated through a series of activities as we share this amazing location. The ideas and artwork collected will then be used to create a set of banners for display at the Fort and at the end of project exhibition at the Sill in December.
Participants are invited to come and explore the Wall and Fort aided by English Heritage and Northumberland National Park staff discussing, history, landscape, geology and then Karen will work on ways to express our perceptions of the Wall using words and images.
The Roman frontier lands had soldiers, merchants, as well as slaves and freedmen and women, some were local and other had travelled from other parts of the Empire. There were also the Celts who were living here before the Romans came and built the Wall. This created a melting pot of people with different identities through food, dress, geographical origins and family descent who lived, died and some are the ancestors of people who live along the Wall now, and then of course there are the thousands of visitors each year who come here to visit this landscape.
Karen MacDougall Artist said,
‘This kind of project is a great way of Hadrian’s Wall today inspiring us with UNESCO values of inclusivity, a living monument and cultural landscape, helping us understand what archaeological heritage is, all co-operating together to make the artwork.’
‘I am hoping to work with Wall volunteers of all ages helping them create something special for our artwork. You don’t need any previously experience – just come along!’
There will be four sessions over the weekend – 2 each day. You are welcome to attend both. 9.30-12.30 and 1.30-4.30pm. This event is only open to volunteers working along Hadrian’s Wall
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