Connecting with Dunston Staiths - a new exhibition
It's an exhibition of fun and creative activities by Newcastle University students in Architecture and Urban Planning, engaging local communities about Dunston Staiths past, present and future.
If you're a regular around Dunston Staiths, this might not be the first time you've encountered the students, as they've been popping up and chatting to people along the riverside between the Staiths Café and the Staiths Space over the last few weeks.
They've created engagement prompts and activities to understand and strengthen people's attachment to heritage, nature and culture around the Staiths.
People of all ages visiting, strolling, cycling, walking their dogs, birdwatching or having a break for lunch have shared their memories and feelings about the Staiths structure and wider area thanks to the fun and creative activities they have designed.
The voices, comments and observations students have gathered on the day will now be used to create brand new pop-ups for The Late Shows on Saturday 9 May, when the Staiths will open to the public for the first time this year.
Special thanks to photographer Damien Wootten and curator Louis Cook for their support in putting this exhibition together.
Co-producing Space
The students involved in this project are in their third year at Newcastle University, and their work here is part of 'Co-producing Space' - a design studio offered to third-year students in Architecture and Urban Planning, where design and engagement meet for a rich collaboration with partners and communities.
The core of the programme focuses on people, place and climate through participation and co-production. The students, whose work is presented here, will go into many different careers in the built environment. From their studies, they will take away that it is essential to engage and co-design with people to create better places.
Where and when?
The exhibition will be open every Thursday, 11am to 3pm, with free entry, at Tyne Derwent Way at Dunston Staiths, Staithes Road, Dunston, Gateshead NE11 9DR.
Picture (left to right): Daniel Mallo, studio leader, Newcastle University; Damien Wootten, photographer; Louis Cook, student curator.
