Ipstock stacked bricks at Birtley

Its been a couple of months since I blogged anything about my Shipley Commission. I have been busy with other work things, but the commission has been bubbling under all the time. In a commission of this kind is that there is a long period of researching and collecting information – out in the field – visiting libraries, doing consultations and workshops, attending events, walking and photographing. Then there is the web research – scanning eBay for Gateshead related objects, flickr galleries of images and web based Gateshead archival material. … but at the same time is the consideration of how the artwork is going to be resolved from all this stuff. Concentrated periods of time processing the research – sorting images and materials, placing objects – alone, together, in sequences – reading documentation, drawing etc., take place in my studio, but alongside there is a sort of fermentation process that goes on in my head all the time. This involves assimilating the research – images, text, conversations, impressions, experiences with the need to create an artwork which distills all the stuff into something visually coherent. Sometimes the process is very much in the background – so even when I’m running a print masterclass in Denmark for example, ideas are being formed – slowly, imperceptibly somewhere in my brain.

My intent was to blog as I collected and researched – but as confirmation of the commission slipped the planned exclusive concentrated research time in the early part of the year became taken up with other work. Instead the research has taken longer and been more broken up than intended, and as a result I have not been as diligent in blogging as I had wished. Now I’m in a period of realising the artwork, so a series of blog entries and photo albums are likely to appear over the next week or so as I catch up on the dissemination of stuff that has ben going on for months and months. Things may not appear in timely or themed sequence, and some images will simply be posted without explanation, but the textual commentary in blog will I hope provide some illumination into the creative process and its realisation. Anyway here goes with visuals of some of the material I’m going to work with – here

Its a lot of things… This is the start of a series of word lists – I’m not pretending they are comprehensive, but would welcome additions if you think I’ve missed places, things events etc… I’ll be posting image lists on my mac blog soon details to follow… In the meantime here’s what Gateshead is (for a start)…

Well its certainly not Newcastle…. its

The Angel of the North, The Baltic and The Sage. The Metro Centre, The Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead FC, Get Carter Car Park and the Dunston Rocket.

Its urban, rural, suburban, cosmopolitan, commuter.

Metro, buses, trains and trams.

Rivers, boats, rowing and bridges

River Team, River Tyne….

The Blaydon Races

Allerdene, Barlow, Bar Moor, Bensham, Beacon Lough, Bill Quay, Birtley, Blaydon, Blaydon Burn, Bottle Bank, Carr Hill, Chopwell, Chowdene, Clara Vale, Crawcrook, Crookhill, Deckham, Derwent Haugh, Dunston, Eighton Banks, Felling, Fellside, Friars Goose, Greenside, Harlow Green, Hedgefield, Heworth, High Spen, Kibblesworth, Lamesley, Lobley Hill, Low Fell, Lyndhurst, Old Ford, Pelaw, Riverside, Rowlands Gill, Ryton, Saltmeadows, Saltwell, Sheriff Hill, Shipcote, Silver Hills, Springwell, Sunniside, Swalwell, Teams, Team Valley, Wardley, Whickham, Windy Nook, Winlaton, Winlaton  Mill, Wrekenton,

Industrial and Post-Industrial

Brickworks, Cement Works, Chemical Works, Coal, Engineering, Farms, Glassworks, Iron works, Mills, Paintworks, Potteries, Quarries, Railways, Rope-making, Ship Building, Steel.

Allhusen Chemicals, Atlas Rivet Works, Boiler Cover Works, Bensham Brickworks, Clockmill Brickworks, Davidsons Glass, Derwent Brickworks, Dolly Pit, Dunston Coal Staiths, Dunston Engine Works, Dunston Colliery, Dunston Saw Mills, Ellison Glass Works, Fanny Pit, Felling Drops (Coal Shoots), Grease Works, Holzapfel’s Paint works, Hope Pit, Marble Works, Mossheap Quarries, North Eastern Railway Works, Oil and Bitmo Works, Norwood Brickworks, Paper Mills, Pelaw Brickworks, Photographic Dry Plate Works, Pipewellgate Bottle Works, Pipewell Foundry, Redheugh Colliery, Redheugh Engine Works, Redheugh Manure Works, Redheugh Sheet Iron and Steel Works, Sheriff Hill Pottery, Shipbreaking Yards, Sowerby Glass, Teams Glass Works, Teams Hemp and Wire Rope Works, Team Valley Paper Mills, Tyne Bolt and Rivet Works, Tyne Nail Works, Tynevale Brickworks, Upper Heworth Quarry, Victoria Engineering Works, Wardley Colliery, William Pit, Wire Rope Works,

Nature reserves, bike trails and footpaths

Axwell Park, Bill Quay Farm, Black Hill, Blackburn Fell, Blackman’s Wood, Blaydon Burn, Bleach Green, Carrhill Reservoir, Cattyside Wood, Chickens Wood, Channels Wood, Clockburn Wood, Colway Plantation, Coxclose Wood, Crookoe Wood, Crosslane Meadows, Dents Hole Ferry, Eels Wood, Eslington Park, Fugarfield Wood, Gas Works, Haghill Wood, Heworth Windmill, Hill Head Wood, Lady Park, Lands Wood, Lamsley Pastures, Longacre Wood, Low Horseclose Wood, Martin’s Wood, Milkwellburn Wood, Miller’s Park, Miller’s Wood, Norman’s Riding Wood, Ousebrough Wood, Pottery Lane,

The Baltic Contemporary Art Gallery Gateshead

The Sage,

The Sage Music Centre Gateshead.

The Angel of the North

and The Car Park….

This huge multi-storey architectural creation in the middle of Gateshead’s town centre is otherwise know as the Get Carter Car Park (after the 1971 film starring Michael Caine in which it featured). Its currently being demolished. There’s a great Flickr photostream here….

Plate and other patterns @ the Mini Mela

Research for the commission for the Shipley has been ongoing for some time now. With a project like this there inevitably lots of meetings involved in the process…. Initially there were a series with Sim Panesar and various members of the Council Arts Development team and those involved in Education at the Shipley. Then I’ve attended a number of formal/arranged events at Gateshead’s Civic Centre. The first was at Gateshead Council’s Safer Stronger Communities and Culture committee meeting on Friday April 30 at which I made a presentation about my work and the commission. Then during Gateshead Together Week on Saturday 29 May I attended the Mini Mela, followed by an Open Day celebrating local democracy on July 4. A particular feature of this day was seeing the outline future planning for City of Gateshead.

I’ve met lots of different people – enabling me to not only to understand more about their experiences, memories and perceptions of Gateshead, but also providing new leads for my own research.

In July I also worked with a group of GCSE students from Hookergate School at Rowlands Gill. I talked about my life as an artist and we looked at the way in which printed ceramics often commemorate and celebrate places and events. They’re each designing their own ‘souvenir’ plates – which will be printed and fired. Pics to follow when they’re completed.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be working with a number of community groups and  meeting up with other people from Gateshead to help me better understand its history, how it is as the place to live and work in and to get an idea of plans for the future. One project I’ll be involved in is Gateshead’s Soul Soup. This is a community-based work enabling local groups to set up a ‘Soul Soup Café’; a meeting place for people of all ages to come together to discuss what is important to them in their community.  The aim is that the café creates a forum for creative consultation and conversation, encouraging people from across the generations to confront stereotypes and misconceptions they may have about each other.

So now I think I’ve the the scene – the background to the commission. One thing left to say at this stage is that I am interested in people’s images and photos – and the Shipley has created a Flickr page for anyone to upload stuff for me. Have a look here and if you’ve information for me do contact me – by adding a comment to this blog or dropping a note off at the Shipley Art Gallery.

From now on this blog will probably be much more visual. The idea is that I will blog as I go along, so you will see images I’m finding of interest, text, thoughts and ideas.

An initial Google search for Gateshead reveals the first page full of ‘official’ links – the Council, Sage, Metro Centre, Gateshead FC, as well as a Wikipedia entry. Of course these are useful starting points – info on public spaces parks events etc… but its often ploughing though the following pages that reveal hidden gems or obscurities – the local historian sites, (Wardley Colliery, Gateshead Times, for example). Another really useful port of call is ebay – I’m interested in objects, images and souvenirs so this auction site can often unearth the unexpected. Informed browsing is the most fruitful – just entering ‘Gateshead’ in ebay reveals postcards and memorabilia (lots of pics of buses), but doesn’t usually bring up the ceramics, glass and other artefacts created in Gateshead – for these to appear ou need to know that the glass was made by Davidson, or Sowerby, and the pottery at Sherriff Hill.

Anyway here are a list of some web links to do with Gateshead – its varied history, photostreams….

‘Official’ sites’ and more to follow another day….

Wardley Colliery
Gateshead Times
Pelaw Photos
Dave Webster’s Bill Quay and Pelaw
Gateshead Photos
Gateshead Pubs

We are seeking inspiration for the new work from local residents. We are interested to see some of your special objects – in particular ones which carry some memory or resonance of Gateshead.

Whilst Museums and Art Galleries hold public collections of artworks and objects of significance, we all have our own personal ‘special’ objects in our homes – these may not be particularly expensive or valuable (in a monetary sense) but usually they carry specific memories and associations for us.

The objects might be made of ceramic, glass, metal, plastic or paper – photographs, pictures, books.  The objects may be connected with the town – they may have been made in Gateshead, or be a souvenir of a special event here. They might also be very personal, with no obvious connection – but we are still very interested to see them and hear the stories associated with them.

Upload your images here:   http://www.flickr.com/groups/shipleycommission/

Sim