Michael McCormack Exhibition at The Bowes Museum

About

North East artist, Michael James McCormack (b.1996) has been commissioned to create three pieces of work in response to The Bowes Museum’s collection that will appear on flagpoles on the terrace at the front of the Museum in Barnard Castle.

The works are titled Black Forest Waterfall, The Swan and Château du Barry, Louveciennes (2024) and have been inspired by objects from the Museum’s collection and historical stories that McCormack has studied during a period of research with the Museum.

The central flag design is a tribute to the Museum's iconic Silver Swan, one of the finest examples of 18th century automata in the world. It highlights the importance of traditional knowledge and skills exchange, in this case, horology (the art of clock-making) in preserving objects of cultural significance that are meaningful to a community.

Taking inspiration from Museum artefacts and historical records, Michael has explored themes of lineage, storytelling, historical value and the interaction between humans and nature within the context of the Museum.

Michael McCormack’s designs will be displayed on the terrace at the front of the Museum until Sunday, 9 February 2025.