Berwick Parade (2025)

Public Artwork | Berwick-upon-Tweed, UK | The Maltings

A giant scale projected parade featuring over 800 local residents. Over the three nights thousands of people gathered in the centre of Berwick Barracks Parade Ground, turning its historic function inside out, to watch the performance with live drumming and pipes. 

Filming

Over five days participants were filmed moving one by one in front of a plain grey backdrop, exactly one tenth of the size of the real Berwick Barracks’ largest wall. Filmed groups included farmers, dock workers, wild swimmers, military veterans, a class from every school. In total over 800 participants were filmed, and the filming days themselves became moments of community connection, where people and groups from all different walks of life overlapped, chatted, had a cup of tea, watched others.

Parade

Over three nights people gathered to watch the projected parade featuring over 800 local residents. Participants were edited together to form one continuous parade projected at giant scale onto the three walls of Berwick Barracks’ parade ground. The parade ground’s historic function, to watch military ceremonies taking place within, was turned inside out: the wider community standing within to watch their town parade around them. 

Music

To give the parade a feeling of aliveness and forward momentum, Matthew worked with a pipe band and military band who improvised across the three nights. With the bands playing amongst the audience, this liveness created a connection between those watching and being projected. The site was turned into a mini-festival, with drinks and food, to cultivate a feeling of a folk festival, ritual or moment.