SECRET CITY: NEWCASTLE - BEHIND THE SCENES
Last week, we started exploring Newcastle’s hidden gems and rarely seen locations - from rooftops to underground tunnels, basement to attics and through many often-locked doors both big and small.
The Artistic Team, Andrew Brooks (photographer) and Jasmine Jade Plumpton (creative writer) alongside Curated Place Producers Ali and Valentyna have been all across Newcastle, armed with cameras, voice recorders, torches - and, in one case, hard hats! - capturing the images and stories of our host partners for this visit:
Newcastle City Council
Northumbria University
Tyne & Wear Museums & Archives
A big thank you to the teams for supporting the visits.
There are more visits to come over the next few months leading up to the festival, so look out for the team out and about in Newcastle. We can’t wait to capture more amazing images and captivating stories.
Secret Cities is a project that brings together artists, institutions and audiences in true collaboration to explore their own city. Industrial ruins, underground tunnels, abandoned sites and prohibited places inspire stories through storytelling, exhibition and social media.
Within the context of NOVUM Festival, Secret City: Newcastle will bring together the many faces of Newcastle's communities with photographer Andrew Brooks and writer Jasmine Plumpton. The images and stories will be displayed in St Thomas gardens and the Great North Museum in a gallery-standard exhibition.
You can take part too by joining a masterclass with Andrew Brooks - including a tour of nearby buildings - you will learn camera skills from smartphone upwards and capture the beauty of the City using photography to tell stories.
About Andrew Brooks
Andrew Brooks is a photographer, film maker and digital artist based on the edge of the Peak District. His photographs capture landscapes, cities and architecture in vivid, atmospheric detail. Through this work he shares the stories of these places, capturing their histories in ways that connect with our modern world.
Andrew Brooks has exhibited his Secret Cities exhibitions across the UK and the Netherlands and delivers workshops and talks where he shares his techniques for documenting places and landscapes.
Explore more of Andrew’s work at www.andrewbrooksartist.com
About Jasmine Plumpton
Jasmine is a poet and writer facilitator from South Shields. She is in her final year of study for an AHRC-funded PhD in Creative Writing at Newcastle University. Her practice-led research explores the interplay between poetry, photography, and trauma.
Secret Cities is a project activating heritage, in partnership with TWAM, Nexus & Northumbria University.
Participate by joining a masterclass with Andrew Brooks, or visit the Secret City exhibition at Novum in St Thomas gardens and Great North Museum: Hancock.
