Great North Night in collaboration with UNITY Festival ‘24

Skimstone Arts’ FREE UNITY Festival ‘24 is in partnership with Great North Museum: Hancock, and presents three days of FREE: live music, performance, arts, exhibitions, creative workshops and exciting talks — something for everyone!

Festival-goers of all ages can celebrate being part of a jam-packed events programme exploring humanity, nature and social action.

Ground Floor: Hadrian’s Wall

6pm: Welcome Warm Up with Nii Kwartey Owoo

Begin the evening shaking off the stresses of the week with this fun movement session with Ghanaian dancer and choreographer, Nii Kwartey Owoo.

6.15pm: Festival Welcome / Launch with Claire Webster Saaremets

Skimstone Arts’ Artistic Director Claire Webster Saaremets welcomes all festival visitors and introduces the programme and we begin our UNITY song. 

Ground Floor: Living Planet

6pm - 8pm: Bar and Pizza

Pizzas, a selection of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks are available from our bar. Last orders 7.50pm.

6pm – 8pm: UNITY Zines with Sally Anderson

Create your own UNITY zine with artist Sally Anderson and bring it with you for the weekend.....

Ground Floor: Mouse House

6pm - 7pm: Kaleidoscope Collective Band

Come and listen to the relaxed fusion sounds of the Kaleidoscope Collective. An improvised set inspired by sounds around the world.

First Floor: Music Stage (Hall 1)

6.15pm - 7pm: A performance medley of UNITY Festival ‘24

Experience some of the artists who will be performing over the weekend and get a taster of what’s to come!

• Diversity in Action with Rapasa Nyatrapasa Otieno
• The Hidden Chorus with Harkling 
• Grains of Sand with Bilal Kose
• Rediscovery with Nii Kwartey Owoo

7.10pm - 8pm: Reality Boots & Friends

Reality Boots, a diverse group of young people who create music together about issues that are important to them.

The band works together to compose and perform music that seeks to make a change, focusing on social and environmental issues.

Tonight they will be showcasing new songs specially written for UNITY Festival ‘24.

7.45pm - 8pm: Skimstone Arts’ UNITY Band and you!

End the evening creating a joyful UNITY song together with tonight’s featured musicians.

First Floor: Gallery - Exhibitions (Hall 3)

6pm - 8pm: Temporal; Visitations; Dwelling Place

Shaho Omar
Photographer/artist Shaho Omar has documented his own and others temporary experiences of having to navigate what is ‘home’. He has personally had to move three times in one year and continues to live in fear of being transferred again somewhere else unknown to him.

6pm - 8pm: With Windows Open Wide

Freeflow Poetry Collective
Audio recordings and installation.
Skimstone Arts’ Freeflow Creativity Cafe’s Poetry Collective brings together local poets and community members to collaborate together on the theme of HOME.

6pm - 8pm: Sonder with Sonde

Lanre Sonde
Lanre Sonde presents an illustrative collaboration with Ovie Mac Solomon on the poetic exploration of Sonder with Sonde that delves into the awareness of the hidden complexity in the lives of others.

6pm - 8pm: Hidden Treasures

Fran Garcia
Drawing inspiration from nature and the outdoors, Fran Garcia’s exhibition is a special selection of wood block prints that celebrate wildlife, including those at risk, and especially the little creatures. 

First Floor: Ancient Egypt

6.30pm - 7pm & 7.30pm - 8pm: The Ethics of Egyptian Collection

Discuss the ethics of museum collections with museum staff, including the origin, journeys and stories of some of the Egyptian collection. (Note this activity will discuss and reference human remains.)

First Floor: Natural Northumbria - Lowlands Hide

6pm – 8pm: Nature Journals with Sheree Mack

Come and create an unique nature collage with artist Sheree Matthews, expressing your personality with a range of materials and collage techniques.