A new gallery celebrating North East art both past and present has been launched in Newcastle in part thanks to the support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The Art on Tyneside project has brought together researchers from Newcastle University’s International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies (ICCHS) and Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums to develop digital media content for the new permanent display Northern Spirit: 300 Years of Art from the North East at the Laing Art Gallery.

By working with local people to explore different ways of seeing the North East, the AHRC funded researchers at Newcastle University have ensured that the new gallery has its roots firmly in the local community.

Sixty-five different pieces of digital media have been created by local people, and they are now all available to view on interactive touch screens.

Among them is Christian Harrison’s soundscape of the Metro, which begins in Newcastle with coins dropped into the ticket machine and the cries of a newspaper seller and ends on the coast with oyster catchers and the sounds of Tynemouth market.

Teenagers James and Vicky from Scotswood have also made their own film about seeing the Angel of the North every day from their houses: they discuss what it would look like wearing a Newcastle United football strip.

Rhiannon Mason, who has led the University research project alongside Chris Whitehead and Helen Graham, said:

“It’s been a fantastic opportunity to collaborate both with the Laing team and the public to develop a display which, we hope, will have something of interest for all visitors.” 

Workshops in the gallery and on location, along with input from professional filmmakers, sound recordists and photographers, gave participants the support to develop the skills they needed to realise their ideas.

This new development at the Laing focuses on the achievements of artists, manufacturers and makers from the region, bringing together the region’s artistic history.

It includes work by pioneering engraver Thomas Bewick, such as the woodblock carving Eider Duck from 'British Birds' and John Martin’s The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The gallery is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, Arts & Humanities Research Council, Newcastle University and Newcastle City Council. 

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Media Contact
Media Contact: Jake Gilmore, AHRC Communications Manager; T: 0797 099 4586,
E: j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk

About the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC): Each year the AHRC provides approximately £112 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,300 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. www.ahrc.ac.uk