The Staiths, a giant wooden structure on the Gateshead side of the River, has helped carve the North East's industrial past by facilitating the exportation of coal to the rest of country and far beyond. As the coal industry fell into decline towards the end of the 20th century, this structure of wood declined also and with it part of the North East's history. However, after a heritage grant and lottery funding, in 2015 the Staiths was able to open again, this time to the general public. Visitors are now able to walk along nearly 400m of the upper and lower areas, to access a view down the Tyne that hasn't been seen in years.
Each year a group of volunteers, Friends of Dunston Staiths, plan a series of activities and events for the summer months. Roger Scott, director at Projected Image, who lives in the The Staiths housing estate, and is a key holder for the friends of Dunston Staiths, wanted to help shine a light on the wooden structure for the world to take notice.
Roger said, "As a member of the local business community and a resident of The Staiths I have a unique opportunity to use my connections to put on a spectacular display to light up this wonderful attraction which is part of the History of Gateshead and the North East."
Projected Image was established in 1999 to address the need to provide leading edge custom gobos and projectors to the live events production industry. The company based in North East manufactures and ships internationally, reminiscent of the coal sent from the Staiths all those years ago.
The team has designed this specifically for the site, to complement and enhance The Staiths and turn it into a temporary art installation. The lighting display consists of seven high-powered LED projectors and custom made gobos, arranged around the structure to give a 3-D appearance of depth in the darkness, achieved by rotating the beams through the internal framework.
The light display took place as a test run on 24 March with a view to showing to a larger audience for The Late Shows this coming May. Prepare to have your head turned by the Staiths and see them hold their own against their iconic neighbours.
(Jim Evans)
