Farewell to the toon

Last of the Newcastle stories and snaps today.  On the Sunday we wandered across the Millenium Bridge to the Old Flour Mills on the Gateshead side of the Tyne.  Now occupied by the Baltic Arts Centre which at the time was running a retrospective of the work of African-American Artist and Photographer Lorna Simpson.

These gulls looked pretty precarious up there on the ledge of the Baltic.  Safety in numbers, though, eh? 

I liked the exhibition - there was lots of different stuff, some video, some arty and a lot of stills.  Ms Simpson gets some of her stuff from good old *bay and then curates it herself.  Other work she has photographed herself.  The video stuff I wasn't that bothered about, although it certainly was hard to ignore (it was BIG).  Some of the still photographic stuff was more to my taste - and as usual, the devil was in the detail for most of it.  Like Five Day Forecast, for example, which I did spend quite a bit of time studying.  Probably my son and his gf thought I was mad, but that's youth for you :)

Oh by the way - last weekend's exhibition at Flowerfield?  Not for me.  That's all I can say.

It was on several floors, Lorna Simpson's exhibition, and you got a grand view of the old town from up there.

After all that culture/brainfood, we needed sustenance, so we headed back to the Newcastle side for a well-deserved late Sunday lunch.  Afterwards, the young ones forced me to stop in at a hostelry for some après-dinner cocktails, as you do.  I don't remember too much about the rest of the night, to be quite honest...can't keep pace with these young folk any more, y'see.  Shouldn't really try, but sometimes your hand is forced.

Anyway, Newcastle was a right fine place for a weekend and I would go again at the drop of a hat.

Yes, t'was the reflection in that glass thingy wot caught my eye - didn't really work out, I know...