Assembly House, 55 Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1SG
Open 11am-3pm Thurs 2nd, Fri 3rd, Sat 4th, Thurs 9th Fri 10th Sat 11th Dec 2021

Featuring Andrew Burton, Robbie Coleman & Jo Hodges, Sam Douglas, Shane Finan, Catriona Gallagher, Bridget Kennedy, Emily Ketteringham, Kate Liston plus films about the artists’ work by WeLove Media

Special viewing and ENTWINED publication launch Weds 1st Dec 6-8pm
Refreshments provided, all welcome!

Access: The exhibition at Assembly House is on two levels with stairs.

About: Over a two-year period, disrupted somewhat by the pandemic, seven artists, Sam Douglas, Catriona Gallagher, Shane Finan, Emily Ketteringham, Robbie Coleman & Jo Hodges, and Bridget Kennedy, as well as two associated artists Andrew Burton and Kate Liston, took up residencies, some based at Highgreen for ten months, others shorter month-long residencies hosted by local organisations: Unison Colour, The Heritage Centre, Tarset Village Hall and Kielderhead Wildwood Project (NWT).

This exhibition is the culmination of the ENTWINED programme which sought to take a closer look at the interconnection between all things. Through the artists’ eyes and imagination, informed by research gathered from readings, personal observation, embodied experience and shared knowledge, the works unveil what lies within, beneath and beyond the tangible or intangible realms of what makes a ‘place’.

The exhibition was first exhibited at VARC’s home of Highgreen in September 2021. The show now tours to an urban context and coincides with the launch of the ENTWINED publication and online conference.

The publication, edited by Mike Collier and Helen Pailing, expands on some of the conversations and ideas sparked by the ENTWINED programme and reflects on VARC’s 21 years as an arts charity based in rural Northumberland. Invited authors include several partners from the ENTWINED Steering Group.

ENTWINED Online Assemblage is an asynchronous conference, hosted by Newcastle University’s Institute of Creative Arts Practice, and takes the form of a series of pre-recorded conversations and presentations. These videos will be released during the lead up to the exhibition at Assembly House and will remain online.