WINNER: Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall
THE lighting of Hadrian’s Wall attracted more than 50,000 people to various points across its 84-mile expanse and exposed its glowing charms to an estimated global audience of 855 million.
If you missed it, the one-time event involved the lighting of torches at 250-metre intervals along the entire wall. It was made possible by the efforts of more than 1,000 volunteers.
Special events at Carlisle – which included a spectacular show organised by Lakes Alive – and Segedunum in Wallsend alone attracted more than 31,000 people
Kathryn Desborough, marketing executive at HWH said:“We are very proud of all of our partners along the Wall and the 1,000 volunteers who made this incredible event happen.
“Working in partnership with local people, we’ve done something really quite extraordinary to bring to life Britain’s longest and greatest World Heritage Site. We are delighted that this event caught the imagination of so many people.”
FINALIST: Extraordinary Measures, Belsay Hall
EXTRAORDINARY Measures was the sixth vehicle of transformation for Belsay Hall and Gardens in Northumberland and included spectacles such as an oversized plucked chicken, a selection of meticulously-placed miniature models and a collection of tiny squirrels made from dead insect parts.
There was also an unnerving naked giant.
The exhibition, once again put together by curator Judith King, promised to offer “a new perspective on contemporary art” and rather surpassed itself.
Eight artists, including Ron Mueck, Slinkachu, Tessa Farmer and Newcastle-based architectural practice MGA were chosen to respond to the theme of scale, and did so, utilising the neo-classical hall, quarry gardens and castle to wonderful effect.
FINALIST: Berwick Film and Media Festival
THE sixth outing of the Berwick Film and Media Festival was welcomed with open eyes, ears and arms in 2010.
The popular event brings a bells and whistles programme to the public on a biennial basis (but whets their appetite with a scaled-down schedule of screenings on the "off" years).
On looking at the 2010 programme, it wouldn’t take a genius to work out that this was one of the festivals proper… and probably the best of those yet.
Premieres and specially commissioned film-based artworks and performances were presented in a variety of atmospheric locations throughout the five-day event, which had the title Stagings.
Melanie Iredale, festival director, said: "We’re really proud of what the 2010 festival achieved, and being nominated for this award feels like recognition for the hard work of the supporters, staff, volunteers and audiences who made it happen."