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Nocturne, the biggest light artwork in Britain, is now creating a permanent kaleidoscope of colour over the River Tyne each night from dusk to dawn. See the Nocturne video (requires a media player that can play mpeg files such as Windows Media Player). The 360 metre creation by artist Nayan Kulkarni, commissioned by Nexus, lives within the enormous steel structure of the QEII Metro Bridge spanning the Tyne from Newcastle to Gateshead. It has already been acclaimed in the media as an icon for North East England to compare with the Angel of the North and Middlesbrough’s Bottle of Notes. And the public can influence the colours is makes over the next 15 years by sending images through the website www.metronocturne.com. The launch of Nocturne follows an ambitious 18-month £300,000 project to create a new landmark for North East England, a short distance upstream from the world-famous Tyne Bridge and just over the hill from Gateshead’s Angel of the North. Nocturne – longer then three football pitches – will illuminate the so-called ‘blue bridge’ for at least the next 15 years. Its low-energy LED lights will never repeat the same combination of colours twice as pre-programmed barcodes of colour ripple across the structure, rising and falling in brightness and intensity to match the ebb and flow of the tide. Millions of people will see Nocturne every year from Newcastle-Gateshead's vibrant quayside bar and restaurant district, from surrounding riverside apartments, offices, roads and railways, including the east coast mainline to London. Public transport executive Nexus, which operates Metro, has a 30-year-history of investing in public art but this is its largest commission. It conceived the idea of an artwork adorning its largest bridge to coincide with a regular re-paint to protect the structure from the elements. Nayan Kulkarni, the artist responsible, was chosen following a national competition. Nayan said: “Cites are living changing places that are animated by their communities. They have changing atmospheres, sounds, smells, levels of energy. Nocturne seeks to reflect this by transforming the way that a substantial piece of engineering is physically and imaginatively located in Newcastle and Gateshead. “Like the slowly-moving waters below the steelwork I wanted to create a light work that would constantly change so that at any given moment over the next 15 years it will appear to be in a different state. “These subtle shifts in colour and intensity mean that the QEII Metro Bridge will have a very different relationship to the Tyne Gorge each evening. I hope that the people of Newcastle and Gateshead will simply see Nocturne as a new personality in the city - one that they can influence.” Thousands of snapshot images sent in by members of the public have been turned into 'bar codes' of colour which will ripple back and forth across the bridge over the next 15 years, with a different colour pattern each night rising and falling in intensity of colour to match the tides of the river below.” Nocturne was made possible by the financial support of the Northern Rock Foundation, Newcastle and Gateshead councils, the TyneWear Partnership, Arts Council of England North East, Network Rail, CE Electric UK and the Port of Tyne, who between them met the costs of the artwork. This financial support means that not a penny of the cost has come from the day-to-day operation of Metro, as Nexus promised when the project began. Fiona Ellis, Director of Northern Rock Foundation, said “With its landmark location, Nocturne’s striking use of technology, colour and light will inspire residents and visitors alike for many years to come. “Nexus can be proud of its commitment to public art and the imagination it has shown in commissioning work. Northern Rock Foundation’s investment in Nocturne is part of our continued commitment to exciting projects that place Newcastle-Gateshead at the forefront of the nation’s cultural life.” Ian Stratford, chief executive of Newcastle City Council, said: “The bridges which span the Tyne are recognised around the world and have contributed significantly to the regeneration of the area. In Nocturne we have another unique artistic project which I am sure will achieve iconic status for the QEII Metro Bridge.” Roger Kelly, Chief Executive of Gateshead Council, says: "Gateshead Council's reputation for public art is known throughout the world, so we are delighted to be able to welcome yet another eye-catching work to the borough. "I feel sure that Nocturne will turn almost as many heads as the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, but we are particularly delighted because it will blaze across the sky directly above our riverside Sculpture Park - I feel certain visitors will find it the perfect addition to our skyline.” Nexus itself spent a further £1.7 million on painting the bridge - a project that required 6,000 litres of paint and 45,000 metres of scaffolding and which has taken 10 months to complete. It will be repeated in 15 years time. Bernard Garner, Director General of Nexus, "Nocturne has been a huge task - the biggest art project Nexus has been involved with over 30 years and easily the most exciting and high profile." "This major capital project has seen us invest in the future of Metro by protecting the bridge from the elements through a new paint scheme, while also creating a new landmark for North East England to stand with the world-famous attractions of the quaysides." Both the distinctive new two-tone blue paint scheme seen by day and the low-energy LED light display were devised by Nayan Kulkarni to highlight the structure of the bridge while creating a new artistic landmark in the night sky. The low-energy LED lights consume less power than a domestic dishwasher, but are capable of creating 16.5 million colours - or more than two billion possible combinations of colour across the whole bridge. The design means the light is contained within the bridge, causing a minimum of ambient light pollution while creating a spectacular kaleidoscope of colour. Background Nexus Art on Transport programme
Nexus commissions and maintains art at Metro stations and other transport interchanges in Tyne and Wear dating back to 1977 through the Art on Public Transport Programme. More than 30 permanent piece of art form part of this unique collection, including Danny Lane’s striking 90-metre sculpture Opening Line at Gateshead Bus interchange, distinctive woodcut-style images of the North East at Metro’s Central station and Landing Lights, a lightwork illuminating South Shields ferry landing. Under Art on Public Transport up to 1% of the budget of a capital programme can be put towards commissioning a work of art – often meaning distinctive works can be built into a structure at minimal cost. Funding is sought from arts bodies and development organisations to support the programme. Nocturne is the largest commission granted by Nexus. Nayan Kulkarni
Nayan Kulkarni is a graduate of London’s Slade School of Art renowned for his work using art as a means to transform public spaces. He is involved in architectural and design collaborations which exploit engineering design and technologically advanced materials, through his studio NKProjects. NKProjects is currently involved in large-scale public art projects Sky Mirror & Constellations (Birmingham), Glazed Roof Design (Bristol Broadmead Development), Parkland Gateway (Corby), Breaking Boundaries (Ashford). Nayan Kulkarni was chosen from more than 20 artists who expressed an interest in the commission following a lengthy selection process. The Queen Elizabeth II Metro Bridge
The QE II Metro Bridge was built from 1976 to 1979 to carry Metro between Newcastle and Gateshead. The through-truss steel girder construction was built out from each bank, with the two sections meeting on August 1, 1978. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II when Her Majesty officially opened Metro in November 1981. The span between the concrete piers is 168 metres, at the time of construction the longest of its kind in Europe. The full length of the bridge is 360 metres.
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