Member Article

Nocturne takes the plunge tonight

Nocturne, the latest addition to the landscape of the river Tyne, will light up above the Tyne at 9.15pm tonight. Port of Tyne Authority Chairman Sir Ian Wrigglesworth will press down a giant plunger on Newcastle’s quayside to set Britain’s biggest new light artwork running for the next 15 years.

The installation has been hailed as a major new permanent landmark for the North East, and one which underlines the importance of the Metro to the region’s economy and people. Its 140 low-energy LED light units span the 360 metre QEII Metro Bridge between Newcastle and Gateshead and were fitted during a much larger engineering project to repaint the bridge and protect it from the elements.

Bernard Garner, Director General of Nexus, said: “Nocturne has been a huge task – the biggest art project Nexus has been involved with 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 alongside the world-famous attractions of the quaysides.”

Nocturne was made possible by the financial support of the Northern Rock Foundation, Newcastle and Gateshead Councils, the TyneWear Partnership, Arts Council England North East, Network Rail, CE Electric UK and the Port of Tyne, who met the costs of the artwork.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .