Northern Culture and the Laing Art Gallery –

Newcastle is one of my favourite cities. I was born in County Durham only around 30 miles from the city. It was a real treat to go to Newcastle with friends. The nightlife as a teenager was fantastic! It is also true what they say about Northern women. They actually do come out and queue for a nightclub in the skimpiest of club wear in sub zero temperatures.  They really aren’t bothered by these freezing temperatures either.  As a Northern woman myself, I actually know about this phenomenon, having once been part of this weekend ritual myself. Apparently psychologists have tried to analyse this behaviour. However, the simple fact is that if you wear a coat you need to carry it with you throughout the night. It is either that or pay a cloakroom fee. This involves either parting with cash and/or facing long cloakroom queues.  Hence lots of women preferring to stand queuing outside in the cold with very little attire. It really is that simple.

Yesterday was my birthday and as a treat I decided to stay for a couple of nights at the Gosforth Hotel a couple of miles outside Newcastle city centre.  It was good to see that some things never change. At nine o’clock on Friday night the town was filled with young revellers, many of them women wearing the tiniest of outfits. Luckily the weather was unusually mild for the time of year!

Another constant is the controversial ‘Angel of the North’ statue by Antony Gormley’ I remember having many conversations with disgruntled locals at the time, who simply could not understand the piece.

I find the statue to be both a marvellous feat of engineering and design. The statue was built intentionally to rust and as the years have rolled by its colours constantly change. Below is a quick drive past video that I shot on my way to Newcastle. I have also included a second video below which I also shot.  I have included the second one because it gives a sense of scale.

Angel of the North Drive Past

Angel of the North – Time-Lapse and Stills

Some Things Never Change

It is nearly 20 years since I left the North for South Devon. A combination of work and a yearning for the coast hastened the decision to move. However in an ever changing world, it was refreshing to see that some things never seem to change. The women still stand outside in the cold and Newcastle’s beautiful architecture remains unspoilt. Indeed it is just the same as I remember it 20 years ago.

Below are some quick and dirty smartphone edits from my time there yesterday. Sadly as I reported yesterday my camera is grumpy so I was reliant on just my iPhone.  I felt from a compositional point of view the images had some merit. The quality is not great but serves as a good reminder of the shots I might like to capture should I return with my DSLR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Montgomery?

In Old Eldon Square, I was delighted to see a illuminated text installation. It looked very much like the ‘Light Poems’ work by Robert Montgomery.

I will do do some research to find out if this was one of his works. What I do know is that the first image of the installation below relates to football. Fans of the famous Newcastle football club are passionate about their team. Now this is clearly evidenced by the following art piece which talks about the club and its turnstiles.

Below is the reverse side of the board. I’m interested to know more about this art piece because it’s power, for me, comes from the its beautiful light. I feel that there is something quite magical about the white neon glow of the illuminated text. Could this be something I would include in my work? Logistically I’m curious to know how difficult it is to produce something like this? I also want to know more about its deeper meaning.

The Laing Art Gallery – Newcastle

In the centre of Newcastle is the Laing Art Gallery. I decided to take a look while I was there. Below are some of my favourite exhibits with short descriptions. The gallery is an amazing space and free to enter. It boasts a very nice gift shop and cafe and of course some of the North’s finest artists both past and present. There were numerous exhibits so only the ones most relevant to my project are listed.

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

One exhibit which caught my eye was ‘The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah’. I was particularly drawn to this piece because of the way it had been displayed. I shot a small clip and I’ve added more details. I felt that by adding sound and lights the piece became much more powerful and could be a technique that I could use with some of my work.

A Short Clip of ‘The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah’

And Finally – Inspiration When Least Expected

The visit to the Laing Art Gallery was both inspiring and thought provoking. However, sometimes inspiration can be found where you least expect it.

On the way back from the gallery we decided to go for a meal at the ‘Alchemist’. We soon discovered the origin of the name. Many of the glasses were laboratory themed with test tubes and conical jars. The best part were the cocktails! Below is a short clip of cocktails being served. I absolutely loved the effect given off by the cocktail mixture. This may well be something that I could draw on in the future.

Video – Alchemist by Name, Alchemist by Nature