Lindisfarne Gospels 2022: Highlights
Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums (TWAM) has unveiled its first programme of events celebrating the return of the Lindisfarne Gospels to the region in 2022.
The Lindisfarne Gospels will be on display at Newcastle’s Laing Art Gallery from September 17 to December 3, on loan from the British Library.
This will be the first time the ancient book, the most spectacular manuscript to survive from Anglo-Saxon England, has been displayed in the city since 2000 and its first showing in the region since an exhibition in Durham in 2013.
The Lindisfarne Gospels will feature in an exhibition about its meaning in the world today and exploring its relationship with themes of personal, regional, and national identity.
Region gets ready to welcome Lindisfarne Gospels
Throughout 2022, attractions across the north east will be hosting events inspired by the Lindisfarne Gospels. I’ve picked out a few highlights. Click here for the full programme.
World Heritage Site Day 2022
Durham World Heritage Site
16-18 April (Easter weekend) 2022
A weekend of events on the Durham World Heritage Site, which includes Durham Cathedral, Durham Castle and the buildings located between them.
The celebration will see the return of ‘Crown of Light’ projection onto the façade of Durham Cathedral which features illuminated manuscripts from the Lindisfarne Gospels and other treasures from the North East.
Monogatari: The Art of Storytelling in Japanese Woodblock Prints
Oriental Museum, Durham
January – May 2022
In partnership with the National Museum of Japanese History and with the support of the Japanese Embassy, this co-curated exhibition will offer the first opportunity for visitors to enjoy the J P Scott Collection of Japanese woodblock prints donated to the Oriental Museum in 2019.
The exhibition explores how colourful Japanese prints were used to illustrate famous tales of samurai, travellers and heroes during the 18th and 19th centuries and how, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this style evolved to tell real-life news stories of conflict during the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars.
A Northumberland Menagerie
Woodhorn Museum, Berwick Museum & Art Gallery, Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum, Hexham Old Gaol
March – October 2022
In Summer 2022, Museums Northumberland will present ‘A Northumberland Menagerie’, a stunning series of new works by artist Bethan Maddocks.
Discover stories of Northumberland’s animals, past and present, real and imagined, through Bethan’s magical, large-scale paper-cut installations.
Illuminated Sheep
Autumn 2022
Working with renowned digital and light artist Deepa Mann-Kler, a flock of 40 life-size illuminated sheep will be created and located across Northumberland, in towns, villages, heritage sites, businesses and community spaces.
A series of trails will be created that can be completed on foot, bike or public transport to see the sheep in their diverse locations, creating a modern-day pilgrimage highlighting the landscape, culture and heritage of the county.
Festival of Flame
Hexham Abbey and other churches & venues in Northumberland
1 September 2022 – 31 October 2022
The patterns and shapes of the Gospels’ carpet illustrations will be recreated in fire using over 1,000 tea light candles and light-based installations, complemented by a specially commissioned soundtrack and large-scale outdoor fire gardens.
Satellite fire installations, accompanied by a small pop-up Gospels exhibition, will be tailored to a variety of indoor heritage, cultural, urban and rural settings.
The Written Script: An Art form
Jarrow Hall Museum
Autumn 2022
The Written Script: An Art form will take a closer look at Mediterranean influences on Early Medieval manuscripts and art.
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the full-sized facsimile of the Codex Amiatinus on display in the Bede Museum, learn about Bede the Historian and take part in fun family-friendly activities and other special events.
Exploring the Lindisfarne Gospels
Newcastle Cathedral
17 September – 1 December 2022
An interactive data visualisation of the Lindisfarne Gospels will be brought to life in Seeing the Word: Twitter Gospels 2.0.
Curated by Dr. Andrew Richardson, it will be based on the digital illumination of words using social media data of online activity and engagement with the texts.
There will also be tours and workshops connected to the Cathedral’s precious 14th Century scriptures, the Hexham Bible, the Northern Saints, the Gospels and their heritage, including stained glass, calligraphy, textile design, music and storytelling.