The Sage Gateshead celebrated its fifth anniversary on 17 December 2009 – and as its contribution to the celebrations, Gateshead Council created a unique insight into the building of one of Tyneside’s major cultural icons.
We have put together an audio slide show| using some of the thousands of photographs owned by Gateshead Council chronicling the building of the Sage Gateshead. The result is a unique behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one of Tyneside’s most recognizable buildings.
Our cameras were given access to places where the public simply couldn’t go, so the images we were able to capture give a unique, and largely unseen, view of the building and its creation.
The photographs – many of which have never been seen by the public before - follow the building’s transformation from scrapyard and traveller site into one of the world’s greatest music venues.
The slide show also features an interview with Peter Udall, Gateshead Council’s Head of Design, who was responsible for overseeing the complex task of designing and building The Sage Gateshead. Peter explains how the idea for a music venue was developed - and how a pair of fishnet tights was used to help create the design of the building!
You can also watch a short video celebrating the first five years| of The Sage Gateshead. The video explores how The Sage Gateshead has become the region’s most important music venue by talking to the people who actually use it – musicians, students and members of the public.