BERWICK-UPON-TWEED.- Visitors to Berwick-upon-Tweed this summer will be able to crown themselves king or queen for the day as part of a new interactive art installation inspired by the town’s tradition of crowning the Tweed Salmon Queen.

Taking place from Saturday 11 to Thursday 16 July, Our Wic - which takes its name from the Anglo Saxon word for ‘dwelling’ - invites people to perform their own coronation and lay claim to their territory by donning the Our Wic crown.

Created by artist Lucy Wright and produced by contemporary arts agency Arts&Heritage, Our Wic celebrates the long tradition of crowning kings and queens of industry across the North of England. It also coincides with the 80th anniversary of the Tweed Salmon Queen celebrations in the town - an annual tradition first established to celebrate the town’s rich salmon fishing heritage and to herald good catches for the year ahead.

Running alongside the installation is an exhibition of photography depicting six new ‘kings and queens’ of industry from the town; local residents who help make the town what it is today.

Artist Lucy Wright said: "I've always had an interest in the northern British tradition of crowning kings and queens of industry, like the Tweedmouth Salmon Queen, which has a long history in the town.

“For me, these ‘community crownings’ are examples of how we celebrate each other and claim our own heroes and heroines in the places where we live. Our Wic is about the people of Berwick paying tribute to their own kings and queens, from all sections of society; the people who make the town what it is today.”

The Straw Yard in Berwick will be transformed into an elaborate throne room where visitors can don a bronze Our Wic crown created by Lucy Wright, sculpted using textures and symbols from Berwick’s buildings and landscapes. An official photograph will be taken to mark each coronation and the name of the newly created territory will be displayed on digital screens inside the throne room - a nod to the town’s unique position in the Debatable Lands, an area historically disputed and subject to multiple changes of identity across time.

Next door in Holy Trinity Church, an exhibition of photography will showcase Berwickers who have been nominated by members of the community as everyday royalty of the town. Each one is photographed wearing one of six bespoke crowns created by local artists.

Some of the everyday royalty of Berwick include: Eva Simpson from malt manufacturer Simpsons Malt, who is pictured wearing a crown by basket maker, Anna Corbett; Brenda Collins, who has worked at The Free Trade Pub in the town since 1971, is photographed in an ornate stained-glass crown created by David Purvis of Condotierri Glass; Roz Haddrill from The Green Shop, an independent eco-friendly store that has traded in Berwick for more than 30 years, wears a crown created by Jen How from Jennie’s Wool Studio; Lyndsey Morris from Pith Papers, a new business established in 2020 that represents Berwick’s hundreds year-old print industry, is pictured wearing a crown created by Lucy Baxandall of Tidekettle Paper; Annaluisa Wood from Berwick Infirmary wears a crown by Deborah Boyd Whyte; and John Skelly from butchers W.R. Skelly & Son, which at 266 years old holds the title of the longest-running family business in Berwick-upon-Tweed, is photographed wearing a crown by Suzanne Wright.

Other everyday royalty of the town will be featured in a special publication and on the official Our Wic instagram page (www.instagram.com/ourwicproject).

Andrea Oliver, Create Berwick Manager, said: “Our Wic is the second of three annual art commissions funded by Create Berwick that demonstrates why our small border town is one of the most distinctive cultural destinations in the country.

“As well as attracting visitors to Berwick-upon-Tweed and raising the town’s profile as a thriving hub for arts and culture, Our Wic has also created opportunities for local artists and creatives, further strengthening the cultural industries in the town.

“Our Wic has helped grow the skills of our creative economy, inspire more people to pursue careers in the arts, and galvanise our cultural and creative businesses to deliver more cultural experiences in the town that demonstrate why Berwick-upon-Tweed is a cultural and creative powerhouse.”