Preview: COALFACE/25 @ Vane

COALFACE/25 comes to Vane, Gateshead, from November 14th. Mounted by RIBA North East Small Practice, it brings together original works from architectural pioneers of the region. The North East has a wide and dazzling variety of architecture and sculptures, which are a feast for the eyes. But, at its core, the show stages a conversation about how crucial architecture has been for this part of the country. Archival drawings and images by significant regional figures such as Peter Yates, Derwent Wise, and Ryder Architecture (among others) are displayed alongside new interpretive works produced by twenty contemporary North East practices. 

These responses are each anchored in a historical piece, taken from the region’s archives. Pieces were selected to reflect aspects of the North East’s architectural heritage and identity, an art form that is often forgotten in the towns and cities of the North. All these elements of the exhibition allow us to ask where architecture sits in the vast creative landscape of the region, and how the past can influence us in the modern day.  

Supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Northumbria University and Newcastle University, the exhibition offers a reflective yet forward-looking platform for architecture in the region. This exhibition offers us a glimpse into more than just art, but history also – two proud aspects of life in the North East.