Pea Arts About

It was an unusual and welcome surprise to see live performance art in the Tyneside Cinema. The work took place in the Gallery, a space used for screening artists’ cinema and video installations during the day and which is transformed into an intimate cinema screen at night. The event was part of the cinema’s Rise Up: Ending Racism, Poverty and War series of screenings and talks aligning with Newcastle’s ‘Freedom City’ celebrations commemorating the 50 th anniversary of Rev. Dr Martin Luther King’s week-long visit to the city in 1967 to receive an honorary degree from the then-named University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Sandra Johnston’s practice tends to be site-reactive and rarely takes place in such institutionalized surroundings. In the small, muted cinema space, she decided to do something she hadn’t done for some 15 or so years: use her voice in the work. Johnston often explores or channels the power of silence. She mentioned afterwards that she felt as if using her voice wa

Having pretty much run out of DVDs in my possession that my care home pals will comfortably watch, I have begun using rentals. I found Ruth & Alex / 5 Flights Up (dir. Richard Loncraine, 2014) while browsing the modest (and largely adult) collection in my local library. The film’s affectionate depiction of an ageing couple played by Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman facing having to move from their Manhattan apartment after 40 years because the stairs have become a struggle was up our alley. I’m always on the lookout for films concerning well-developed older characters. Ideas for these are plentiful, but I’m working some limitations pose challenges. Some residents are at various stages of dementia, so I need films gentle enough for them to follow, meaning uncomplicated linear plots and narratives, clear English diction, subtitles for the hard of hearing, and nothing too suspenseful or racy. I also must factor in the regulars whose minds are sharp and hungry for good storie

It would be easy to assume that lack of access to university libraries and online resources would be a hindrance to continuing research beyond/outwith academia. I have found this not to be the case. Rather, my newfound limitations have in many ways broadened my horizons, and not only in leading me to rediscovering the joys of public libraries.      I am privileged to live in a city with an impressive network of public libraries, many of which, including my own local branch, have survived threats of closure thanks to community action. Having largely relied on university libraries for many years (although, while living in and returning to Belfast I use the Linen Hall and Central libraries), and now being excluded from them, I realise that I was missing out on the alternative and creative treasure troves of glorious knowledge that I’ve been accessing regularly since quitting teaching early this year.      Through Newcastle’s libraries, I’ve researched my family tree (particularly