Art installation in South Shields
If you find a spare half an hour this weekend in South Shields can I suggest that you make a visit to “the weebles” at Littlehaven Beach and have a look around the new Tyne Salmon Trail art installation. You might be forgiven for being mystified about the connection with salmon but the three cubes (from a total of ten) are quite thought provoking, and I found a number of people showing interest there yesterday.
The River Tyne is now regarded as the premier salmon river in the UK and this installation is part of the Mouth of the Tyne Festival and the artworks draw their inspiration from the journey of the salmon from the sea to their spawning grounds.
I couldn’t quite work out the connection to salmon with the “habitat” cube, which looked like an expensive collection of two metre dowels from the local DIY store, but I understand that it is meant to represent the barriers and challenges that the salmon face in their journey from the sea. I was impressed with the other two which represent “colour” and “scales” with the circular plates tinkling in the breeze and reflecting dancing pools of light across the paving stones. As you can see from my pictures these pieces are providing a source of wonderment for families already.
Councillor Tracey Dixon, Lead Member Culture and Wellbeing said of the installations;
“The cubes look amazing and I’m sure they will stir up a lot of curiosity and interest among visitors and local people. Each cube is a reflection of the life cycle of a salmon in the Tyne River. Our cubes are themed on habitat, scales and changing colours.”
She added: “The Tyne is a major symbol in the regional identity of the North East of England, and this artwork is designed to serve as a celebration of the river, its heritage and its increasingly diverse ecosystem.
“The interactive aspect of the artwork makes it all the more intriguing because each cube emits a Bluetooth message. If you stand close enough, you can pick up the messages on the mobile phone, giving you a modern day keepsake to take away.
“I’m not revealing what the message is though - people will just have to come down and find out for themselves! We’re getting three different cubes from the family of ten early next month, and they will move onto the next stage of their journey in early August.”
So remember to have your phone switched on!
You can learn more about the salmon trail - here.
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