The Sage

The Sage in Gateshead celebrates its fifth birthday this year after its grand opening in 2004. A centre for musical entertainment, the stainless steel and curved glass building was designed by Foster and Partners at the controversial cost of 70 million pounds. Many people objected to this as the feared it would only add to the highbrow culture emerging on thee quayside, a culture irrelevant to a large section of the Gateshead population. It was argued that the money would have been better spent reviving communities. My opinion of this however, is that the Sage does revive communities, by running classes in musical education and brining more tourism to the area. It could also be argued that surely in current areas of highbrow culture, those elements of culture must have been brought to that particular area at some point. So why can’t Gateshead now have its turn?

The cost was not the only issue, the very design of the building, was and still is a mater of debate. Despite The Sage Gateshead winning a number of awards, including the Local Authority Building of the Year in the 2005 British Construction Industryawards and the RIBA Award for Inclusive Design, it has also been described as a “shiny condom” by Gavin Stamp. Though modeled on a hand clawing at the river Tyne, and its outstanding acoustics, I can also see the resemblance to the giant slug, which some locals refer to it as. Despite this I feel that the Sage adds an interesting element to the developing quayside. It’s good to be different.

http://www.thesagegateshead.org/

Romeo Oh Romeo

On my trip to Italy I also visited what has been named to be Juliet Capulet's balcony in Verona. Whether this is genieunly where Shakespear took his inspiration from, or a lucky happening for someone who could spot a money making oppotunity is unknown. There is however an undoubtable tinge of magic in the air surrounding this spot. And though many may say that the tourism industry spoil such places, it is my argument that it is fact these pilgrams make not brake this place. What was most striking to me was not the balcony of the old house but the alleyway leading up to it. The alley, which was being cleared while I was there was full of love notes piled ontop of eachother, stuck or written on every inch of the walls. I found this out pouring of emotion from strangers who are all brought together by the idealism of love, (we have to at this point ignore the ending of said play), extrodinary and touching. It gave the place a real sense of purpose, of pilgramage, of romance and of love.

Pompeii

On a recent trip to Italy I visited Pompeii, a Roman town which was buried in ash from mount Vesuvius, leaving the contents of the town, including people and dogs perfectly preserved. There is no doubt that these remains are inspirational, though perhaps not in a positive way. The terror perfectly captured on the faces of the preserved people sum up the eerie spectacle. Walking down the streets at a quite moment enables you to step back in time, imaging both the lives and the terror that these people faced, and evokes strong emotions of sadness and an intangible feeling one get not quite put their finger on. Pompeii also offers excellent examples of the earliest design work from the frescos that border the baths, to the mosaics that covers the floors of the houses. A particularly good example of this is the mosaic of the dog found in “the house of the tragic poet” (featured below). Though images may not be of use in my further design work, the emotions that Pompeii elicits could certainly be transferred to design especially if using a neo classical theme.