Book detailing Tyneside’s renaissance launched
Oct 3 2009 The Journal
THE story of the extraordinary cultural renaissance on Tyneside is going all around the world – thanks to a book launched yesterday.
NewcastleGateshead: The Making of a Cultural Capital tells how iconic structures such as The Angel of the North, The Sage Gateshead and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge came to change not only the landscape but the way the North East is regarded from outside.
It charts the success of a campaign called The Case for Capital, which argued for massive investment in the region’s cultural infrastructure to make up for a century of under-spending.
Since 1995, when it was launched by Tony Blair, £250m has been invested in buildings such as Dance City and Seven Stories in Newcastle and the Gateshead landmarks mentioned above. Three theatres in Newcastle – the Theatre Royal, Live and Northern Stage – have been extensively refurbished and Victorian parks have been brought back into use.
The book was commissioned by NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI), whose formation in 2000 is a key element of the story, and funded by Newcastle and Gateshead councils.
At the launch at the Theatre Royal, NGI chief executive Andrew Dixon said: “The publication, although just officially launched, has already found its way to Hong Kong, China, Korea, South Africa, the USA, Australia, Finland, Portugal and France.
“We now take for granted the chance to listen to world-class music at The Sage Gateshead or to see Live Theatre’s work on international tour, but there is something special about what the two councils and the cultural sector have achieved here.”
He added that cities around the world now looked to Newcastle and Gateshead as leaders in culture-led regeneration.
The book was also welcomed by the leaders of Newcastle and Gateshead councils, John Shipley and Mick Henry respectively, and by Jamie Martin, chairman of NGI.
Published by ncjMedia, the company which also publishes The Journal, the book has now been produced in magazine form and will be included in every copy of The Journal on Monday.
