Creative Central NCL

An exhibition showcasing proposals by students from Newcastle and Northumbria Universities for fostering creativity in the heart of Newcastle city centre.

What is a creative city? How do we make space for creativity? How can creativity enhance a city’s places, spaces and communities?

Creative Central NCL is a Newcastle City Council initiative to create opportunities for independent artists, creative professionals and cultural organisations to thrive in central Newcastle. In 2022, the Creative Central team approached Newcastle University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape and Northumbria University’s Department of Architecture & the Built Environment to invite students to help imagine creative futures for creative zone around Clayton Street in the city centre. Since then, both universities have worked collaboratively to embed Creative Central into design project briefs that envisage a creative, vibrant, urban environment.

This exhibition presents a selection of design ideas developed by architecture, interior architecture, landscape and urban design students from both universities, including collaboration with local creatives, design practices and schools. The images on display are snapshots of larger projects, addressing a variety of design briefs, some only lasting a week, others a full semester. They are not meant as fully formed proposals, but rather as a source of inspiration and a starting point for imagining what a creative city would mean to you.

Credits

Creative Central NCL

Exhibition content

Year 3 BA Architecture, Northumbria University

Year 3 BA Interior Architecture, Northumbria University

Year 1 MA Architecture, Northumbria University

Year 1 DA Architecture, Northumbria University

Year 3 BA Architecture and Urban Planning, Newcastle University

MA Urban Design, Newcastle University

Exhibition design

Northumbria University: Khalil Abdulrahman, Maddie Ankers, Lucy Beeby, Alex Hancock, Caeyan Lobo, Archie Nicholson. Omar Oukasha, Johno Perez, Anabel Smedley, Robin Turnbull

Newcastle University: Malaz Abdelgadir, Simi Odumeru, Kyi Nue Phyu Sin, Shoon Elvia Thaw

Steering group

Andrea Couture, Kelly MacKinnon and Paul Ring (Northumbria University), Samuel Austin and Natalia Villamizar Duarte (Newcastle University), Anna Czigler (Newcastle City Council)

Creative Central NCL is funded by the North East Combined Authority and Newcastle City Council and part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Image credit: George Halifax, Architects Playground