A chance to hear the history of the city’s Blackfrairs brought alive through poetry and to take in summer evening views of the Tyne from the Dunston Staiths are just two of the free treats in store at the upcoming annual ‘culture crawl’ through Newcastle and Gateshead.
The Late Shows will be back from May 17-18 and this year will see more than 60 heritage venues, galleries, museums, art studios and music and performance venues open their doors after dark to visitors. This is the 16th year for the much-loved freebie and it is to include five new artist commissions.
These will be hosted in the city, at Grainger Market; The Common Room and Dance City with two more at Blackfriars, and each will be inspired in some way by its location – whether its environment; heritage, or archives and collections. These new additions mean, for instance, that late-night visitors to the Grainger Market will get to see it in a whole new light, with interactive projection mapping imagining what happens there when everyone has gone home.
The poetry at Blackfriars will be just one of the new treats in store at the city’s 13th Century attraction. These ‘on-the-spot micro-poems’ will revive the story of the location while performers, writers and composers are also creating a video projection called the The Ballad of Blackfriars which will chart the city’s history through immersive soundscapes and song.
The other commissions are an augmented reality art trail through The Common Room at Neville Hall – next to The Lit & Phil – where existing portraits of historical figures will be brought alive with overlays of digital art, and a painting at Dance City celebrating African American dance.
As usual, The Late Shows will focus upon the Ouseburn area of Newcastle on the first night, when Friday’s programme will run from 6pm to 10.30pm then the main Saturday night events will take place in venues across the city centre and in Gateshead during the same hours, although they will wrap up half an hour earlier south of the river, at 10pm.
Bill Griffiths, of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums which runs the event, called the event “a fantastic way to explore the vibrant cultural scene in Newcastle and Gateshead”. In addition to the new commissions, here are some other TWAM highlights of the upcoming programme.
Friday, May 17 – Ouseburn
-
The Biscuit Factory – a ROOTED event will include a pop-up eco-bookshop, live painting, a photography exhibition, sustainable clothing pop-up and an art show by Laura Pedley
-
Flea Circus – an event, in support of Music v Cancer, with live music and DJ sets, and a chance to buy signed prints by resident artist Dan McBean
-
Christ Church – music and circus performances with a chance to try a new skill and meet the resident arts organisations
-
The Find – a Moon Light Guide Night installation by artist Yvette Ja with map-folding, origami, paper-cutting, and bookbinding
Saturday, May 18 – Newcastle
-
Great North Museum: Hancock – giant inflatables will be there to be enjoyed by both children and adults
-
Discovery Museum – activities will include a game of Laser Tag in its Science Maze
-
Newcastle City Library – guided walks, starting here, will showcase the history of African lives in the north
-
Laing Art Gallery – visitors can learn about industry, mapping, and celestial navigation while creating art inspired by new exhibition Turner: Art, Industry and Nostalgia
-
Farrell Centre – visitors can learn about urban planning and take part in workshops including block-printing
Saturday, May 18 – Gateshead
-
Shipley Art Gallery – a night of crafts, live music and art to make-and-take
-
Dunston Staiths – alongside the chance to enjoy panoramic Tyne views, there will be heritage talks (weather permitting) at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm
-
Gateshead Riverside Partnership – print-making, embroidery and badge-making workshops will be followed by live music
-
Orbis Community – the venues at High Street and West Street along with Vane gallery will host a themed exhibition, People and Place, showcasing work by its artists alongside that of students from Gateshead College, Newcastle University and Northumbria University
For the full two-night programme and details of participating artists see here. The Late Shows is sponsored by Creative Central NCL, a project funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority and Newcastle City Council.
Creative Central project manager Vikki Leaney, also a council officer, said of the new commissions which are inspired by and hosted in its venues: “That’s what Creative Central is all about – finding creative ways for people to experience the city in a brand new way, to uncover new stories or be surprised by the hidden heritage of the city centre.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/late-shows-line-up-newcastle-29070328
