Setting the Fell on Fire. Thursday 2 April 2009

Julian Germain is participating in the exhibition 'Setting the Fell on Fire' which opens the new 'Dovetail' gallery in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Join Allenheads Contemporary Arts in a double celebration:
The launch of a new arts space ACAdovetail in Newcastle city centre and the launch of the book Setting the Fell on Fire which charts ACA’s work over 12 years from the village of Allenheads in Northumberland.
Thursday 2 April 2009 5 .30–8pm. ACAdovetail, 61 Blandford Square, Newcastle (in front of the Discovery Museum)

The inaugural exhibition shares the book’s title. Including painting, photography, film and sculpture it will feature works by Lee Cavaliere, Rachael Clewlow, Marcus Coates, Stephanie Davidson & Georg Rafailidis, Peter J. Evans, London Fieldworks, Julian Germain, Paul Grimmer, Tod Hanson, Nick Kennedy, Wendy Kirkup, Kypros Kyprianou, Arturas Raila and Alan Smith. The exhibition runs until September 2009.

ACA’s new venue opens in partnership with the dental clinic Dovetail, run by Rob Wain who wanted to create a distinctive and stimulating environment for his patients, staff and visitors. The premises designed by Tim Bailey of Xsite Architecture, includes a custom-built 18 x 5 metre gallery as well as site-specific installations commissioned for the surgeries. On the launch evening, Dovetail’s surgeries will be open for visitors to view site specific commissions with videos and paintings by Alan Smith and a large scale photographic installation by Julian Germain.

ACA is based in the village of Allenheads, Northumberland. Continuing a well established dialogue between the urban and the rural, the ACAdovetail programme will be fed by work generated through residencies at the rural base. It will also develop artistic activities specific to the venue exploring the relationship between art and science. Centrally positioned in front of the Discovery Museum, and near Dance City and Centre for Life, ACAdovetail will contribute to the increasing cultural activity of this area.

The book Setting the Fell on Fire: Allenheads Contemporary Arts will be available for a special launch price of £10 on the night. Normal retail price £12. (Hard back, 96 pages, full colour, published by Art Editions North and distributed through Cornerhouse Books). Essays by Tracey Warr, David Butler and Rob La Frenais reflect on how the experience of ACA relates to wider debates about art in rural areas, the relationship between the body and the landscape, the roles and responsibilities of the artist in contemporary society and how ACA’s scope reaches beyond its local context.

To order copies of the book, or for further information, press images and opening times, please contact Helen Ratcliffe or Alan Smith:

01434 685040
acaheads@aol.com
Allenheads Contemporary Arts, The Old School House, Allenheads, NE47 9HR
ACAdovetail, Amy House, 61 Blandford Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 4HZ