Exhibition
The Art of Milk by Gemma Burditt
1 Apr 2017 – 4 Jun 2017
Event times
Wednesday to Sunday 11am-5pm
Cost of entry
Free
Address
- Berwick Barracks
- The Parade
- Berwick-upon-tweed
- TD15 1DG
- United Kingdom
Animator and filmmaker Gemma Burditt has spent the past six months as our artist in residence in the town, finding out about the practical and economic problems that dairy producers face every day, through discussions with Northumberland dairy farmers and rural researchers.
About
Animator and filmmaker Gemma Burditt has spent the past six months as our artist in residence in the town, finding out about the practical and economic problems that dairy producers face every day, through discussions with Northumberland dairy farmers and rural researchers.
The resulting work is a four metre long animation spanning the width of the Gymnasium Gallery, tracing the history of dairy farming in the County, exploring how businesses have evolved, responded to changing markets and advances in technology, reflecting on how we value milk and its production today.
The residency has been undertaken in partnership with the Centre for Rural Economy and Institute for Sustainability at Newcastle University, who have provided valuable access to researchers and academics during the residency to support Gemma’s research.
Gemma’s work examines human stories and how individuals negotiate their personal journeys through changes in the wider context, changes in political situations or conflict in personal truth versus societal expectations.
Her recent projects have included ‘Urban birds’ – a documentary about female cycle couriers exploring the need to be physical in an ever sedentary workplace and weighing up the priorities of a pressure to contribute economically with a desire for freedom and personal autonomy; and ‘Through the Hawthorn’ – a multi-screen short film telling the story of a young schizophrenic patient negotiating his way through compulsions to follow voices in psychotic episodes with his mother's expectation to be "normalised" and a patient's right to choose when in conflict with a carer's wishes.