There’s a no photo policy here so I’ve taken this from the Baltic website at www.balticmill.com
This photo shows ZoeWalker and Neil Bromwich, The Encampment of Eternal Hope. It’s about as far removed from drawing as possible and the concept is a post apocalyptic, utopian dream in the from of an evolving social sculpture, part tent, part plant, part garden. Visitors are encouraged to become part of the installation. So you sit in the tents, as indeed people were, and walk around the sculptures. As I say, far removed from drawing and painting but still interesting and fun.
I’ve been to the Baltic before when it first opened and it seemed like yesterday so it was quite a surprise to discover they are celebrating their tenth anniversary. I remember I was struck by the scale and beauty of this industrial building (famously a former flour mill) but the art itself didn’t really speak to me
On this visit the art did speak to me, or rather sing, on Level Three with Janet Cardiff’s “The Forty Part Motet”. Evidently this has been touring around the world for a decade and consists of forty speakers arranged in a circle. As you approach the room a beautifully sang choral arrangement is heard. The choir is heard as one then as you approach the inner circle of speakers each singer can be heard individually. Forty speakers forty individual voices. As you stand next to a speaker the whole choir can be heard swelling and fading in the background as the individual voice rings pure and clear, or disappears when not singing their part. Shifting from speaker to speaker you pick out different singing voices male and female bass and soprano. It was like being in the middle of the choir, quite extraordinary and moving.
The largest gallery on the fourth level is hosting Mark Wallinger’s “SITE”. The entire side of the gallery, and it’s a huge space is taken up with a brick wall. Each brick chalked with a unique number from 0 to whatever, randomly placed. On the floor is a huge chequerboard black and white pattern. On each square is placed variously sized pebbles. Where talking thousands of pebbles here mind. 65,536. A video is endlessly replayed of scaffolders erecting and dismantling a structure on the seashore in real time. Mmm, whats he saying to me here ? Not sure, but impressive in scale if nothing else.
On the ground floor there’s a video installation by Yugoslav born Pojan Fajfric. There are several videos in various rooms but I was drawn to one “The Dome 2009”. This is the interior of the dome parliament building when it was unoccupied. The camera wends it’s way spookily and silently around with the occasional shadow of the photographer revealing itself. Bit creepy really but I guess this is what he intended.
If you are ever in Newcastle ( it is actually on the Gateshead side but easily accessed via the millenium footbridge) The Baltic is well worth a visit the views of the river and Tyne Bridge, with the graceful Sage music venue in the foreground are stunning from the viewing box on level five. The gallery doesn’t really appear to be relevant to this particular course but it is interesting contemplating art in all of it’s varied and perplexing forms.
Bonesymac Art 