What I thought of Great Exhibition of the North 2018

As the Great Exhibition of the North comes to an end on 9th September, I thought that I would share with you my thoughts and feelings of the events as whole and also share with you some of the events that I not covered yet on my blog.

So with that in mind I shall start with that, here are a few mini reviews of some of the events that I got up to during my summer break.

Whilst I was off in August I was taking time off my phone and experiencing more #getnorth2018 events so I wasn’t able to post about it or share it on my Instagram feeds.

Aeons

Aeons was this audio installation that recreated the North East quayside and its history of maritime. Aeons requires you to walk from the  Gateshead Millennium Bridge where you pick up your headphones from the glass control room on the Newcastle side of the river and set off along the riverside heading towards the bridges.

Image by Linda Hirst 

As you walk along the bank of the Tyne  you hear music from the epic sounding Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North, composer and accordion wizard Martin Green of folk trio Lau, and singer Becky Unthank.

Image by Linda Hirst

It was simply magical just getting to walk along at my own pace and notice what was around me.  I have done that walk so many times before and never realized its true beauty till I put those headphones on.

 

Great North Museum 

This had been on my to do list from the very start so I was intrigued to see what the fuss was all about. With 10+ exhibitions on, the Great North Museum had been closed for a long while to set up the exhibitions for Get North.

And there were boat loads on, if I am honest there was too much on that I found it very overwhelming and I think I struggled to truly experience it all. From Doctor Who Screw Driver Piano to Damien Hirst Heaven there were lots to look at.

Image by Linda Hirst

And don’t get me wrong, the exhibitions that were out were really interesting but it just a case of right that is that, what else is next? I think I must have gone on a busy day as the museum was packed full of families so I did feel rushed to get around to see everything.

If I had more time then I would have liked to have a proper look around, this was definitely  one for the kids.

 

Bridges 

This was something that I had totally forgot about but thanks to the Sage Twitter account, I thought I would go and see it. Held at the Sage Gateshead it was a film about a man with his dog and a boat, they sail along the tyne and face challenges as they meet each bridge.

It was a full animation created by musician Ed Carter and writer Katie Simmons, it features animation from Newcastle creative studio NOVAK and a live music performed by Northern Sinfonia.

Rocket

And last but not least the Rocket, remember I did try to get to this the first time but it was ticketed. Back at the Discovery Museum I returned with my ticket and walked around to see what it was all about, there was problem with the ticket scanning so they just let me in.

Confused as to why there was specific time I wondered if there was a tour, no mention of one I just had a quick (and it was quick) look around the exhibition.

It was impressive to see and there was some more information about the rocket, I would have preferred a tour. But wait… there was one, as I walked out I noticed there was a tour and thats why I was ticketed to a time… but no member of staff told me.

Overall Get North

So what did I think about the event as a whole? Well as I whole I really enjoyed the experience, I really liked following the trails and going to the exhibitions on those trails.

And as a blogger, I loved the press launch and being able to network with both bloggers and artists it was great to be invited to something because I had been recognize for my blog.

Thinking about the practical sides of it, I did have trouble using the app and the website- trying to get it to create my own trail was difficult and it was struggle to navigate around it. Instead I used the hard copy to find my way around and see what was going on.

I also thought that the programme could be like the fringe one and have a grid reference as to where each venue was, as I struggled to find some of them. Just to make it easier to find them.

Overall I really enjoyed Great Exhibition of the North and I congratulate the team and artists who worked hard to make this happen. And I hope it will return in the future.