Where Art Happens
Lingfield Point will be the focal point for an ambitious new public art and culture programme, which sets out to achieve iconic status as strong and as meaningful as the Angel of the North.
However, unlike one individual statue or statement, the strategy will be a multi-levelled approach, which will be an ongoing discourse between work, life, environment and spirit. The strategy will contain a spectrum of activities and initiatives ranging from art installations to community-interaction projects.
Through this range of embedded approaches, the strategy will generate a future vision for the North and further promote the aspiration of the region in the area of public art and culture.
The Lingfield Point Arts and Culture Strategy will deliver a number of key outcomes over a five to ten year period. The outcomes range in scale and are intended to be a catalyst for a new cultural ethos for the site, which will become self-sustaining over time. Following is an introduction to some of the planned outcomes.
Art strategy - PDF (724kb)
Implementation plan - PDF (1.25mb)
This is a very exciting project for both Lingfield Point and the town of Darlington. The long-term benefits have the potential to be enormous and to put Darlington on the artistic map. Marchday is producing a nationally recognised flagship
regeneration scheme at Lingfield Point, which
will bring positive focus to Darlington and give
the town and its people something to be proud of
Alan Milburn, MP
Tickle Me
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Sixty Three Tickle Me’ is the first of a number of creative illustrations planned around the business park. The work of Glasgow based artists Graven Images the images provide a striking backdrop to the new Student Loans Company offices. In the popart tradition the colourful and eye-catching work, measuring 70m in length, brings colour and fun to an otherwise bland elevation.
Futurescope
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‘Futurescope’ will mark the launch of the strategy and, at the same time, mark the official opening of the new entrance to Lingfield Point from the Eastern Transport Corridor.
A radically high profile project, Futurescope will set the pace for the strategy and publically declare the site’s ambition to be an intelligent and culturally active location.
‘Futurescope’ is a two-year-long sequential, outdoor exhibition of eight massive circular photographs and images attached to the eastern elevation of the currently derelict turbine hall, which faces the transport corridor and the Darlington ring road.
The images will be changed with the seasons in order to promote Lingfield Point as an ecologically sustainable and forward thinking ‘visionary’ destination.
For more information on Futurescope visit www.lingfieldpoint.co.uk.
Outdoor Performance Space
The site ear-marked for this facility is to the south of the Powerhouse in a location that will become increasingly developed by a collection of formal gardens and other attractive landscape features.
The outdoor performance space is welcomed by Darlington Borough Council’s Leisure & Cultural Services who see it as a chance to develop a reciprocal link with Lingfield Point in their endeavours to animate Darlington town centre through events and outdoor performances.
The Lingfield Point Performance would be enhanced by a purpose designed canopy and enclosure that would also increase its acoustic properties and attractiveness to performers seeking a viable, high quality performance space in the North of England.
Artists' Studios
These will overcome the severe lack of artists working spaces in this part of the country.
A Healthy Imaginitive Workforce
Lingfield Point will introduce a programme that promotes sustainable, healthy living and productive, modern way of working. Similar to the educational and leisure facilities offered by Joseph Rowntree and Cadbury’s, Lingfield Point will make a commitment to the resident workforce to ensure they are provided with healthy leisure activities that can be inspiring or tranquil, exerting or restful, intellectually challenging and always creatively satisfying.
These might include the introduction of flexible working hours that are supported by a flexible worker-friendly cultural offer such as lunchtime or evening classes in dance, photography or painting.
Voluntary arts interest groups will also be encouraged to support the programme by visiting the site to offer the resident workforce a wider scope of activities.
Education and Outreach
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Lingfield and Redhall schools will be engaged in the development of a creative learning programme that will enable local children to become actively involved in architectural master planning process and develop a long-term relationship with the changes taking place around them.
For more information on the current availability of commercial
space on this site please visit:
www.lingfieldpoint.co.uk