Empty Shop Head Quarters Now Open in Durham

Friday the 19th of February saw the non-profit arts organisation Empty Shop launch its new head quarters with an open exhibition just off Durham’s Framwellgate Bridge. Read more

Culture Shock Project Looking for More Stories From People in the North East

CultureShock is an exciting project which is hoping to collect  1000 digital stories from people all over the North East with the number currently at 400.

Read more

Sunderland ‘perfectly fierce’ in money making

“They are perfectly fierce in their money making,” is a quote attributed to the business dealings of Sunderland’s industrial growth during the 19th century, and is examined in an exhibition at the Winter Gardens, ‘Boom Town’. Read more

Cultural understandings…do we understand?

‘A Gift to Those who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling’ is a collaboration between artists Erika Tan and Mio Shirai that aims to show the supposed eccentricities of foreign cultures, as well as examine cultural icons and the apparent living machines that are used within urban areas.

The first section, ‘The Syntactical Impossibility of Approaching with a Pure Heart’ concentrates on Mount Fuji, an internationally known symbol of Japan. A projector displays a slideshow of drawings of the mountain, along with an opportunity for visitors to add their own drawings, with the eventual aim to display chosen drawings when the exhibition reaches Yokohama in 2009.

This goes alongside works such as a video collection of public domain images of the mountain, and ‘On a Clear Day’ a video taken from a cable car going up the mountain, moving through cloud, while every so often an announcer comes over the P.A. system.

This then moves on to the next section, ‘Ghost in the Machine’. A collection of photographs, as well as three videos, concentrates on the movements of several mechanised car parking machines. Though unused, these automated machines, a collection of turntables, doors and vehicle lifting equipment, will continue to work throughout the night, almost of their own accord. Watching the continuous work of these machines, without human control or interference, does seem to imply that they have some sort of intelligence, maybe even a soul.

The next part of the exhibition created by Mio Shirai uses ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ to illustrate the shock of travelling and interacting in foreign cultures, such as that felt by Japanese ambassadors when travelling outside of Japan.

Drawings, such as ‘Ambassador walking to Hylton Castle’ incorporate quotes from the book, but put a personalised spin on the pictures, ‘Alice’ is drawn usinga ‘Mino-washi’, the traditional Japanese umbrella.

Shirai also created two short films. The first, ‘Forever Autumn’ recreates the tea-party scene and sees Alice, played by Shirai, as she learns the rules of engagement to live in a strange land, in this instance it is filmed in locations around the North East.

The second, ‘Restaurant Wild Cat House’ is an adaption of ‘Restaurant of Many Orders’ written by Kenji Miyazawa in 1921. The story follows two Japanese men who emulate western fashions, who stumble upon a strange restaurant, and while blindly following instructions posted on doors, end up being killed and eaten by a large Wild Cat. The film asks whether the cat, a symbol of the Japanese culture, was defending Japan’s cultural history or blindly attacking outside elements.

The exhibition is a wonderful examination of perceptions of differing cultures, and its beauty and strangeness.

Closes: 15th November

Location: Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, City Library and Arts Centre, 28-30 Fawcett Street, Sunderland

New opportunities for Sunderland graduates

“WE want our graduates to stay in Sunderland.”

That was the message from Councillor Paul Watson, the Leader of Sunderland City Council, at the grand opening of a new £6.5million business and arts centre in the city’s cultural quarter.

And a Sunderland University photography graduate, Mark Shotton, the first person to exhibit at the new centre, said: “Students should join us.”

Cllr Watson and Mr Shotton were just two of the many guests at the official opening of thePlace in Sunniside.

ThePlace, in Athenaeum Street, offers a number of performance and conference spaces, an art gallery and studio, a range of business suites and a café, restaurant and bar facilities.

The new centre has already attracted interest in its first few months of opening.

Ben Hall, Director of the Sunniside Partnership, which is overseeing the regeneration of the area, said: “We’ve invested £6million into thePlace and we’ve already attracted an eclectic range of creative businesses.

“This building is absolutely key to our overall ambition for the area. It clearly shows to the private sector that we are serious about the regeneration of Sunniside.”

He added: “We are looking for a broad spectrum of creative industries. There is a lot of work we are going to be commissioning.

“We have fantastic courses at Sunderland University which are really well respected and some very talented graduates. I think what we need to do is retain and capture some of this talent for the city.”

Cllr Watson described the centre as acting as a catalyst for the arts and creative businesses in the city and hoped Sunderland graduates will use its facilities.

He said: “If we can create the opportunities for graduates to take up then that obviously gives them that option. I am quite sure some of them will take advantage of these options.

“Quite a lot of money has been spent here and we want to create these opportunities. We want graduates to stay here and raise the aspirations and whole standard of the city.”

Mr Shotton, whose exhibition of photographs of famous stars who appeared at the Sunderland Mecca, said: “It has been thought that Sunderland graduates will come here.

“It would be ideal if a group of students who have graduated created a creative community and based themselves here. That would be really good.”