Magic comes to Saltwell Park in Winter Festival

Dec 5 2008 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal

THE phrase “just a walk in the park” couldn’t have been less apt last night as magic descended on Gateshead’s Saltwell Park.

This was no ordinary amble. The already lovely setting (made even more beautiful, if a little chilly, by yesterday’s snowfall) became officially entrancing as the second Enchanted Parks event got under way.

Offering an after-dark winter walk in a fairystory-inspired wonderland, last night was the first of what will be 11 magical evenings for people of all ages.

The basic concept (which is a major slice of the NewcastleGateshead Winter Festival) is that a group of artists get to transform an area of the chosen park in response to a collective theme. This year, the theme was stories and of wintertime and it’s safe to say it has officially inspired the 20-or-so artists involved in the dozen installations, to create some great work.

I won’t spoil the excitement of discovery for those of you among the 7,000-or-so people who’ve already bagged their spaces (Enchanted Parks is free, but you must have a ticket). But here’s a few things to look out for which came at the top of my must-take-home-a-memory list.

Dodgy Clutch’s Ice, Water, Fire which dwells in the Dene; Heather Deedman’s Blanket which has addressed the possibility that trees feel the cold in winter with wooly-laden aplomb; Gloria Ronchi and Claudio Benghi’s Roses Halo which has imported a colourful, glowing garden into a Gateshead winter scene... and then there were Yoko Ono’s Wish Trees where visitors are encouraged to write their wishes, hopes and dreams on a piece of paper and then hang it on the trees.

There are only 1,000 tickets left for the remaining evenings. To book, call (0191) 230-5151 or go to the Northern Stage box office in Newcastle.