A History of the Future

Gateshead Secondary Schools in association with

Northern Architecture and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

The idea for creating this model of the Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside began in January 2001 when Gateshead Secondary School teachers had the opportunity to meet artist Tod Hanson to discuss his painting Untitled, 2001 (also on show in this exhibition). Tod's painting was first exhibited as part of 'A History of the Future From Metropolis to Matrix', which was a series of film screenings at Tyneside Cinema plus complimentary exhibitions.

As the title suggests, 'A History of the Future' was about the art of prediction. Taking inspiration from the production design of twentieth century fiction cinema, it showcased different visions and responses to the future of architecture, design and the built environment.

Tod's epic work was produced during a three month Year of the Artist residency with Northern Architecture at Blackfriars, Newcastle. His 16 x 8 ft painting re-works a square mile of the Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside. Tod's crisp super-graphic style presents an urban landscape like no other, furnished with inspirational architecture and populated by thronging masses.

Taking the same geographical area of the Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside as Tod, the Gateshead Secondary Schools divided this area into 11 equal sections. Each school then worked with pupils to create their vision for the future of their area of the Quayside. The materials each school chose to work in was dependent upon the type of future they were developing.

The river and main thoroughfares have largely been kept and the schools have used the same colours as Tod to provide an element of uniformity. This is the first time that all the models have been put together to create the history of the future of the Gateshead and Newcastle Quayside as 'visioned' by pupils at:

Furrowfield School, Heworth Grange School, Hookergate School,

Joseph Swan School, Kingsmeadow School, Lord Lawson of Beamish School,

Ryton Comprehensive School, St Edmund Campion School, St Thomas More Catholic School,

Thomas Hepburn Community School and Whickham School.