INTO THE WYLD
WILLIAMSON ART GALLERY
Image: Lud’s Church during research trip for Into the Wyld 2024
Into the Wyld was a five-month residency by Material Matters (MM) at Williamson Art Gallery and Museum. The project took the form of a cultural journey into the mythical world of the Arthurian romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, unfolding through contemporary art, performance, and public engagement.
The project was developed in partnership with the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, Material Matters, Wirral Borough of Culture 2024, and Liverpool Hope University.
At its core, Into the Wyld explored the profound ecological interconnections that sustain life on Earth. Drawing on storytelling, mythmaking, and artistic practice, the project used the medieval tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as a lens through which to reflect on urgent contemporary ecological and social crises. Written in the 14th century, the poem makes direct reference to the Wirral — “In the wyldrenesse of Wyrale” — the very landscape in which the gallery is located. This geographical and mythical connection enabled Material Matters to reimagine the Wirral as a site of reflection, transformation, and ecological inquiry.
The programme comprised three major exhibitions at the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, accompanied by a rich series of public events. These included six performances, an artist talk, poetry readings, a symposium, and three public conversations with participating artists. The project also featured children’s and family workshops linked to each exhibition, as well as an audio walk extending the experience beyond the gallery walls
Exhibitions and Performance
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![into the wyld exhibition]()
Nature
Curated by Patric Rogers
Nature explored Sir Gawain and the Green Knight through the lens of the natural world and ecological entanglement.
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![chivalry exhibition]()
Chivalry
Curated by John Elcock
Chivalry examined medieval ideals of honour, duty, and ethical conduct, reinterpreted through contemporary artistic practice.
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![spirituality exhibiton]()
Spirituality
Curated By Angelo Madonna
Spirituality focused on ritual, belief, and transformation, drawing connections between the poem’s symbolic world and contemporary spiritual inquiry.
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![izzie major weavers performance]()
Weavers
Curated by Silvia Battista
Weavers was a parallel programme of talks, poetry readings, performances, and artist discussions that threaded through the entire project.
Publications
The official catalogue of Into the Wyld: the six month residency of Material Matters collective at the Williamson Art Gallery in 2024 which explored the continuing legacy of the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight through the lens of contemporary art.
First edition of 150 copies.
The definitive record of our shared Into the Wyld journey; featuring commissioned essays, photography and behind the scenes glimpses from the Material Matters and 36 invited artists, writers and performers who contributed to this remarkable project.
Reimagining Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is presented in a 6-volume, hand-bound collection as follows:
Nature, Chivalry, Spirituality, The Weavers, Essays and Behind-the-Scenes, plus integrated bookmark and slip-bound in a tracing paper sleeve.
A5 paperback, 1.4 kg.
ISBN 9781036931681
Published 13.09.25
Publisher: MAT MAT the imprint of the Material Matters artists’ collective.
VISIONS IN GREEN: THE FILMS OF INTO THE WYLD
Blu-ray
In 2024, the Material Matters artist collective spent six months exploring the enduring legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight through a wide range of contemporary artistic practices. Drawing from performance, moving image, ritual gesture, and landscape intervention, the resulting works re-imagine the medieval romance as a living myth rooted in place.
Visions in Green: The Films of Into the Wyld gathers these works into a cinematic passage through the exhibition, tracing Sir Gawain’s quest and the enigmatic, untamed world of the wyld. Moving between woodland ritual, mythic transformation, and the textures of the British landscape, the films evoke a journey through the symbolic terrain of the Green Knight’s challenge — a space where folklore, ecology, and contemporary art converge.
“All the isles of Anglesey on his left side he holds, and fares over the ford by the forelands, over by the Holy Head, until he again had the shore in the wilderness of Wirral dwelt there but few that either God or person with good heart loved…”
Featuring films from:
Material Matters · Silvia Battista · Patric Rogers · Angelo Madonna · Anna Jane Houghton · Abbie Bradshaw · Craig Sinclair · Piotr Marchewka · Amodali
Special Features
“YES – BUT TO WHAT?” — A performative lecture by Silvia Battista, presented at the Spirits of Place Symposium
THE WEAVERS — Live audio recording
