Arts festival celebrating Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to open at Williamson – Birkenhead News

A contemporary art festival will be held at the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum exploring the continuing legacy of the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and its unique connection to the Wirral.

From 1 August to 21 December 2024, Material Matters Collective will be in residence at Williamson in Birkenhead. In the Wyld also features work from over 20 guest artists from across the region, plus an associated five-month program of performance art, poetry readings, children’s workshops, film screenings and a symposium.

Material Matters artists will respond to key themes from Gawain’s poem through three exhibitions: ‘Nature’ curated by Patric Rogers from 1 August – 13 September, ‘Chivalry’ curated by John Elcock from 19 September to 25 October and “Spirituality” curated by Angelo Madonna from November 7 to December 21. ‘Weavers’, a parallel program of performances, discussions, workshops and readings will be curated by Silvia Battista.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a masterpiece text from the Middle Ages. The poem tells the story of King Arthur’s headstrong young nephew who, after a dramatic bargain with a mysterious figure, faces a long journey where he must, quite literally, keep his head.

Sir Gawain’s quest ‘in the wilds of Wirral’ is a 14th century narrative that will be given a radical 21st century interpretation by artists.

Professor Sarah Peverley of the University of Liverpool will open the program on 3 August with a talk on the poem’s history and textual brilliance and the real and imagined landscapes through which Sir Gawain passes.

Each exhibition will offer a family workshop led by artists Madeleine Smart and Alexandra Hales respectively. Associate Professor Catherine Morris from Liverpool Hope University will moderate artist conversations with the audience at the end of each exhibition.

The Spirits of Place Symposium at Williamson on 12 October will be chaired by writer John Reppion and will include presentations around the themes of the story by leading scholars and writers from across the UK, including Associate Professor Silvia Battista, Dee Dee Chainey, Maria J. Perez. Cuervo, Professor Stephen E. Harding, Professor Carolyne Larrington, Mark Penman and Adam Scovell.

Material Matters is a collective and cooperative of artists involved in artistic and curatorial practices that explore the inter-relationship between materiality, aesthetics and performativity within a collaborative practice that the artists call “emotional minimalism”.

Featured artists for Into the Wyld include: Angelo Madonna – Silvia Battista – John Elcock and Patric Rogers in collaboration with Amodali – Abbie Bradshaw – Nick Ball – Alice Colquhoun – Kris Darby – Will Dickie – Ryan Gauge – Anna Jane Houghton – Adrian Jeans – Oak Luca – Brendan Lyons – Izzie Major – Piotr Marchewka – Paul Mellor – Margaret O’Brien – Attila Olah – Nicky Perrin – Eleanor Rees – Sarah Jane Richards – Andrew Shaw – Craig Sinclair – Camille Smithwick – Pierce Starre – Angela Stringer – Serah Stringer – Catherine Swire and Niamh Tam.

Into the Wyld is supported by Wirral Borough of Culture 2024 and Liverpool Hope University.

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