PROJECT DESCRIPTION
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In December 1992 Gateshead Council first conceived the idea of transforming this former 1940s grain warehouse on the south bank of the River Tyne into an international gallery which would be at the forefront of contemporary visual art. Their exciting proposal to develop this disused landmark attracted widespread support and enthusiasm with the regional arts board, Northern Arts, playing a key role in its development. BALTIC lies right at the heart of the regeneration of Gateshead Quays.
METHOD
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Before opening in summer 2002, BALTIC presented an arts programme, B4B, which ran from 1999 - 2002. The programme, in collaboration with a number of arts organisations in the north east and beyond, incorporated exhibitions, seminars, artists in residence and other events. B4B showed the scope and ambition of BALTIC before the building opened to the public. Of particular relevance to 'Buildings Sights' was BALTIC's use of the site itself as a focus for artists work. The following two projects were particular examples which engaged with the construction site.
Anish Kapoor - Taratantara, 7 July - 1 September 1999
During the summer of 1999, when demolition of the interior of the old BALTIC Flour Mills on Tyneside was finished, but before construction of the new art centre began, there was a pause in the building works affording the opportunity to enter the massive void inside the hollowed out building.
For this interlude Anish Kapoor was commissioned to make a site-specific art work, using the building as part of the structure, to create a symbiosis of architecture and art, the first ever art event inside BALTIC.
Taratantara was a vast open-ended double trumpet form fabricated in brilliant-red, semi-translucent PVC, stretching the entire length of the building. Over 50 meters long and more than 25 meters high at both ends it was installed in only 3 days by a team of abseilers, engineers and architects. The result was a brave and brilliant piece which had an intense physical impact on all who experienced it. The exterior view through the dramatically foreshortened building could not prepare one for the sheer surprise of the interior in which the full extent of the 50m long structure was revealed, arching gracefully from one end of the building's vast shell to the other.
The installation marked the transition between the old, industrial past of the building and its new life as a centre for the creation of art.
Jenny Holzer, 25 - 28 October 2000
By October 2000 the site was no longer safely accessible but the huge bulk of the BALTIC building presented a fantastic focus for one of American artist Jenny Holzer's dramatic projections. Holzer was commissioned to produce four different text projections onto the facades of three buildings on Tyneside. Beginning on the BALTIC building, the projections illuminated facades of the Castle Keep, Newcastle, and the Tuxedo Princess boat, Gateshead with the final projection returning to the BALTIC.
BENEFIT
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When Sune Nordgren was appointed BALTIC Director the building was not due to be finished for several years and so the B4B programme was established to build awareness in the region of the forthcoming opening. Alongside the B4B programme, BALTIC produced a series of newsletters starting in September 1998 to publicise forthcoming B4B activities and events as well to raise the profile of BALTIC prior to its completion. Having two major artworks at the BALTIC site prior to the opening helped to focus public attention on the forthcoming possibilities of the BALTIC project. Bringing the public onto the site as early as possible helped sustain public interest in the project throughout the lengthy construction period.
