BEST EVENT DURHAM

Jan 27 2009 The Journal

On day two of a week-long series giving you a chance to vote for a best event in the 2008 Culture Awards, Barbara Hodgson turned the spotlight on Durham.

It's been a tough job, but we've had to do it and are now in a position to present the three shortlisted events in Durham which are vying for the title of Best Event Durham in the 2008 Culture Awards.

Take a look, have a read and if one of them has particularly impressed you and you’d like it to win the recognition you feel it deserves, then cast your vote.

Register your vote and this, and any comments expressed on our website, will be used by the judging panel as it makes its final decision.

The awards will  be announced at the Culture Awards ceremony at Northern Stage in Newcastle on March 24.

DURHAM ENLIGHTENMENT

THIS international light festival saw four extraordinary artworks bring to life the city’s    religious and industrial history, as seen through the eyes of two very different cultures.

November’s art installations, sited on Durham’s bridges in the shadow of the castle and cathedral world heritage site,  were the work of UK artists Lulu Quinn and Julie Westerman and Indian artists Nandita Palchoudhuri and Sanchayan Ghosh.

Ghosh’s piece, for instance, was Light of Darkness: two huge shining eyes,  made of miners’ helmets from the sub-continent,  suspended beneath the Framwellgate Bridge.

Palchoudhuri’s Calcutta Lights, meanwhile, saw two lit arches across Elvet Bridge,  decorated with intricate interpretations - from thousands of tiny bulbs - of the cathedral’s Rose Window and Durham Sanctuary Knocker.

And they were linked by an intermittent light trail of smaller installations, illuminating shop windows, bars and office spaces across the city. 

Enlightenment took place between November 6 and 8,  initiated by Durham City Arts and supported by Durham City Vision and ISIS Arts.

It was part of the EAST’08 celebration of Asian culture, managed by culture10 at NewcastleGateshead Initiative.

Alison Redshaw, director of Durham City Arts, said: "It’s wonderful that Enlightenment has been nominated for a Journal Culture Award; the whole team is thrilled.

"Enlightenment was a truly spectacular contemporary arts festival which brought four world-class artists to Durham.

"Juxtaposing two UK artists with two Indian artists really displayed fresh interpretation of Durham whilst bringing new international arts practice to the North East for the first time.

"The festival provided iconic images that Durham will, quite rightly, be proud of for years to come."

BRASS: DURHAM INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 2008

IN something of a washout July, local and international musicians brought a ray of sunshine with this annual celebration  of County Durham’s heritage and new music styles. 

A  diverse brass-inspired  programme mixed and matched music from 10 countries across five continents,  with  jazz, funk, folk, ska, and traditional and classic brass styles drawing audiences of all ages from children to pensioners.

Organised by Durham County Council’s Heritage and Culture team,  it ran from July 5-20.

County councillor Eunice Huntington said:  "County Durham is rightly proud of its tradition of brass playing and the success of the festival is shared by over 1,050 talented local musicians who took part, from school music schemes where over 1,000 children attended BRASS workshops,  to local brass bands and concerts in Extra Care homes for the elderly.

"The festival also welcomed over 250 professional musicians from around the world, who were impressed with the skills and talent right here in the North East, showcasing Durham to an international audience."

DURHAM ARTS FESTIVAL

IT was the  enthusiasm and  passion of students that launched this action-packed fortnight of exhibitions, films, workshops and lectures, throughout the city.

The inaugural festival programme was  developed and delivered by students of Durham University  and the local community was only too keen to get onboard.

The resulting  June 14-21 event  attracted around 10,000 visitors - plus  international recognition - and  was said to have cost under half that an event of this kind would normally be.

Supported by Durham University, and other organisations including local councils, it certainly  captured the imagination, and  university chancellor and author Bill Bryson was pictured at its colourful  launch event.

Following highlights included an exhibition of work by Lee Miller - the  American photographer  known for both  her Vogue  fashion photographs and images of the  Second World War; a children’s illustration exhibition with Quentin Blake and Judith Kerr; and a art projection by ex-Ultravox frontman John Foxx.