Artist in residence Annie will be part of Berwick Old Bridge 400th anniversary activities

And it has been announced that Connecting Threads – the cultural strand of the landscape-scale project Destination Tweed – has appointed Midlothian artist Annie Lord as its Lower Tweed artist in residence as part of the Berwick Bridge 400 activities.

Annie has been inspired by the 170 people who initially worked on the construction of the bridge. In response, she is creating a collection of 170 artefacts that will celebrate the unusual stories and alternative histories associated with the bridge.

As part of her artwork, she is interested in hearing people’s stories, thoughts and memories about the past, present and future of the bridge.

Annie said: “During my time in Berwick, I’ll be investigating the archives, meeting the people who live and work nearby and finding out what the bridge means to them.

“Inspired by the 170 people who initially worked on its construction, I will work with the community to create a collection of 170 artefacts, revealing an alternative history of the site, as well as looking towards its future.”

If you would like to get involved, please email [email protected] or come and meet her in person at one of the following.

Sketching workshops will be taking place at the bridge on Wednesday, July 10 (10am to 11am) and Thursday, July 11 (6pm to 7pm). Some drawing materials will be available, but feel free to bring your own supplies too.

Annie will have a stall at the Salmon Queen Exhibition and Fayre at Berwick Town Hall on Saturday, July 13 between 10am and noon.

She will also be on hand, running workshops and eager to hear your stories at the Queen’s Garden in Tweedmouth on Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4 – the big weekend for Berwick Bridge 400 – from 10am to 4pm on both days.

Annie is known for her ‘living artwork’, The Neighbouring Orchard, and in 2023, she was shortlisted for the Nan Shepherd Prize in nature writing for her work-in-progress book – Morphoses: The Art of Nature’s Processes and Processed Nature.