The city of Newcastle and adjoining town of Gateshead, in the north-east of England, have been chosen by the government to host the Great Exhibition of the North in 2018.
The two-month project—entitled The Blazing World: the Fires of Invention—“will showcase the great creative, cultural and design sectors in the city and across the whole of the north of England”, says a statement from the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
Newcastle and Gateshead together were one of four locations shortlisted along with Bradford, Sheffield and Blackpool. The team behind the bid says in a statement that the new exhibition “will connect artists with scientists and inventors to work closely together, to create new artworks and respond to the great innovations of our time.”
The project is a key part of the Northern Powerhouse, a government initiative, aimed at boosting the economy of the north of England. The government is contributing £5m towards the exhibition and investing £15m in a “legacy fund”, which will be open to cultural organisations across the North.
