Exhibition showcases Newcastle's African American music legacy
The exhibition is part of the 22-year-old's final year project at Northumbria University. Ms Usher-Unsworth had only asked the library to host it for an afternoon so that it could be marked by her supervisors, but the library then said they would display it for two weeks. "It's spiralled – in a good way!" she said.
She said one of the main things she had taken away from the work was how many famous musicians visited Newcastle at the time."When you got to book a concert nowadays, it's not often that someone you want to see comes to Newcastle," she said."If you want to go and see someone you've got to go to Manchester or Edinburgh or somewhere nearby."But looking at concert programmes, she saw that famous artists such as Duke Ellington visited the city multiple times.
The exhibition features African American musicians who visited three venues in Newcastle during the late 1950s and 1960s: City Hall, the former Odeon cinema and Club a'Gogo. It is made up from archival material held by the library, which had been donated by locals and compiled by volunteers. "A lot of it is programmes, signed photographs and concert tickets," said Ms Usher-Unsworth. She said the material was housed in several boxes which she had to sift through."I felt like a right nuisance to the staff there but they've been absolutely fab," she said.She said headphones playing the featured artists' music were available at the exhibit for visitors to enjoy.
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Edinburgh Reporter
03-08-2025
- Edinburgh Reporter
Fringe 2025 – Dreamscape ⭐⭐⭐⭐
On 28 December 1998, four officers from Riverside Police Department in California shot Tyisha Miller, a 19 year old African American woman, dead. Miller had been driving with a younger cousin when the car they were travelling in suffered a flat tyre. When the spare was found also to be flat, a passer-by drove Miller's cousin home to collect their AAA (roadside assistance) card. Miller did not leave the car as she feared it would be stolen. By the time the two of them returned, Miller was unconscious; the engine was still running and all the doors were locked. There was a semi-automatic gun in Miller's lap. Concluding that Miller was very ill, one of them called 911 and asked for an ambulance. The call handler, on being told about the gun, called the police. Officers surrounded the car. They stated that, when they were trying to remove the weapon, Miller had sat up and grabbed it, and that they shot her in self-defence. Miller was shot twelve times. A later investigation found that Miller had not raised the gun, and was probably unconscious (she was under the influence of GHB) throughout. The officers subsequently retracted their allegation. The police department's motto is 'To protect and to serve.' Rickerby Hinds' Dreamscape recreates the events of that night through the fictionalised character of Myeisha Mills and a combination of poetry, dance and beatboxing. Jada Evelyn Ramsey and Josiah Alpher together perform a powerful hip-hop theatre piece, throwing into sharp relief Mills' vibrant, joyful life and her violent, cruel and unnecessary death. Mills, now dying, speaks to us from 'one of those dreams where nothing comes out when you try to scream.' She tells her story in poetry, addressing the audience as if she were talking to a friend. Dancing around the stage, she's a ball of energy, hardly able to keep still. In life she loves dancing, boys, Wesley Snipes, Denzel Washington, soul food, softball, music – in other words, she's a typical 19 year old with a 19 year old's dreams. In death, at 19, she's 'knocking on heaven's door.' Alpher provides the beatbox backing to Ramsey's verse, while also taking almost all of the other parts in the story. He's the call handler, the doctor who treats Mills' teenage scoliosis, and most importantly, the coroner who dispassionately lists the details of each of Mills' twelve horrific gunshot wounds. These are fired off like the bullets that caused them, the information preceded each time by a rapid count to the number of the shot, during which Ramsey runs around the stage then stops in mid-action. And in between the details of each wound, Mills treats us to another vignette of her life. She's been working on a hip hop dance routine with cousin Tony, a snatch of which she performs with her customary vitality and enthusiasm. She's going to miss her grandfather's barbecue, but that doesn't stop her sounding off about the dreadful bread that inevitably appears alongside all the delicious food. She talks about her ambition to be a cheerleader. There's a wonderful section about African American women's hair, 'Do not touch the hair!' She talks about her cousin Freddie, who once nearly died from fat embolism syndrome. But Freddie didn't die. His mother prayed and prayed and he recovered, 'I hope Auntie D has prayer power left for me.' As the bullet count mounts, Mills knows she's running out of time. Ramsey's increasingly urgent delivery turns to something far more poignant. Mills asks people to put an extra candle on their birthday cakes for her. She always looked forward to being 20, so let's pretend she did, 'Close your eyes and wish that what you're seeing is a fable.' By the time the coroner gets to Bullet Wound 12, Mills is no longer simply a victim we've heard about on the news. She's a real person, with a real life. A life taken away by not one bullet but twelve. When, at the beginning of the play, we hear the sirens approaching, Tony remarks that if Mills has been a white girl she'd have been helped. As it is, the colour of her skin, and the gun culture of her country, have already sealed her fate. Jada Evelyn Ramsey and Josiah Alpher are excellent actors, turning in outstanding performances in what is a truly shocking, urgent piece of theatre. Dreamscape shines a harsh light on institutionalised racism and gives a powerful voice to a community that is so often stereotyped and silenced, in art as in life. Dreamscape is at Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower (Bramley) Venue 140 at 1.30pm every day until 24 August. There is no performance on Monday 11 August. Please note: Jada Evelyn Ramsey and Josiah Alpher are in this production until 10 August. From 12 August their parts will be taken by Natali Micciche and John 'Faahz' Merchant. Like this: Like Related
Time Out
31-07-2025
- Time Out
Sound On: Cape Town's 120-Year-Old City Hall Clock Fully Restored!
Whether you're sipping an early morning coffee on Darling Street, stepping out of the Golden Acre at midday, or catching the golden light across the Grand Parade in front of the City Hall at sunset, you'll hear a sound that's more than a century old - and impossible to ignore. After nearly a decade and a half of silence, the iconic City Hall clock is not only ticking but striking once again - revived in all its Westminster-style glory. Installed in 1905 by legendary British clockmakers JB Joyce & Co. (yes, the same company behind Big Ben), the tower clock has been restored to its original splendour thanks to a meticulous six-month project led by the City of Cape Town, local engineer Marius Schoeman and self-taught horologist Alexios Vicatos. @timeoutcapetown The City Hall clock and bell chime is ticking in perfect time following its restorations which kicked off 6 months ago. We had an exclusive look at the clock chimes and tower that is a core part of the city's heritage. #TimeOutCapeTown #capetown #tiktokcapetown #visitcapetown #capetownsouthafrica #capetowntravel #timeoutexclusive ♬ original sound - Time Out Cape Town The project brought a wave of nostalgia for many, including Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis's grandmother in law, who grew up in Woodstock and remembered shopping in town on Saturdays, the clock's bells echoing in the background. 'She got glassy-eyed when I told her it would ring again,' he shared at the ceremony marking the completion of the project on Thursday. Indicating this isn't just a technical triumph - it's the restoration of a soundscape, a memory, a cultural heartbeat. The chimes mark time, yes, but they also mark place. They root us in the present while calling up the past: market mornings on the Parade, marches and concerts on the square, weddings and protests and the ordinary rhythm of daily life in the Mother City. It is a living piece of heritage. The clock has been returned to its original manual winding system, meaning it now needs to be wound three times a week, just like it was 120 years ago. It chimes every 15 minutes, with four quarter bells and a larger hour bell, and features a fully restored silencing mechanism to accommodate performances in the main hall. Inside the historic building itself, the R330k clock tower restoration forms part of a broader revitalisation of City Hall initially pegged at R27m and started almost a decade ago. It is a landmark also known for being the place where Nelson Mandela first addressed the nation as a free man in 1990. That moment is commemorated with a life-size bronze statue and an exhibition inside the building, which also houses the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and the city's Visitor Experience Centre. "From clock maintenance, to permanent lighting of the historic front façade, and restoring the carillon bells, we are taking care of Cape Town's precious City Hall and the surrounding precinct in our flourishing Inner City, ensuring that the Mother City does not walk the path of decline sadly visible in other municipalities," said Mayor Hill-Lewis. The City Hall is one of the municipality's strategic assets and its facilities have undergone several upgrades including to its CCTV system, wayfinding signage, and lighting. "These ongoing improvements has seen City Hall being booked to near capacity, hosting events such as the State of the Nation Address (SONA), concerts of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra, and various choir competitions. It is also host to the Nelson Mandela in Cape Town Legacy Exhibition, the Cape Town Civic Collection's Attic Exhibition and Cape Town Tourism's City Hall Visitor Experience Centre," said Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth Alderman James Vos. Q&A: Restoring Cape Town's historic City Hall clock Lead engineer Marius Schoeman spoke to Time Out at the momentous unveiling and behind-the-scenes look of what it took to bring city's special timekeeper back to life. Marius: With all the regulatory and procurement steps, the full project took about six months. The physical restoration - disassembling, repairing, and reassembling- took three months. Time Out: What were some of the challenges? Marius: First, understanding the mechanism from both an engineering and horological point of view. There's almost no historical documentation left, so we had to reverse-engineer it from scratch. Then, of course, sourcing the right expertise through the city's formal processes took time. Disassembly took about two days—we catalogued everything and created CAD drawings. Each part was restored by hand. Reassembly was done in a day once we understood the mechanism, followed by fine-tuning, pendulum setting, and establishing long-term maintenance systems. Marius: Not exactly new - but we reinstated the original manual winding system, so it now has to be wound three times a week. We also brought back the silencing mechanism, which allows us to mute the bells during Philharmonic concerts in the main hall. It's all about staying true to the original while keeping things functional. Marius: It's a living reminder of the passage of time - both literally and symbolically. This clock was once Cape Town's main time reference, and it's witnessed over a century of change. These days, it's not about keeping time- it's about keeping connection. Personally, I find the chimes grounding. They make you aware of time passing, and that's quite beautiful. As an engineer, it's also rare to work on something with this kind of visibility and historical value. I even use it to teach engineering students. Marius: Sure, The mechanism is fully imperial, so restoring it using modern metric tools was tricky. We reinstated the original weight system, which had been replaced during previous upgrades. And during testing, one of the weights got snagged inside the wooden shaft, causing a temporary stop. It took time to figure out- it wasn't visible! Just a small misalignment, but it reminded us how precise this clock has to be. Marius: We're working on restoring the organ inside City Hall, and also planning some work on the carillon bells above the tower. These heritage projects take time, but they're deeply rewarding. It's a privilege to help preserve them for the future. The restoration of the City Hall clock is more than a technical achievement - it's a statement of civic care. It affirms Cape Town's commitment to preserving public heritage, revitalising the inner city, and making meaningful, small details part of everyday life again. So the next time you're in town, pause on the Parade. Listen closely. The bells are back - and so is a piece of Cape Town's remarkable heritage.
Scotsman
31-07-2025
- Scotsman
Art reviews: Nathalie Vucher
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nathalie Vucher: From Milsey Bay, A Scottish Story in Portraits, Freemasons Hall, North Berwick ★★★★ Holger Mohaupt: To Think of Time, 82 High Street, North Berwick ★★★★ Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While the biggest, craziest Fringe in the world gets under way in Edinburgh, North Berwick's Fringe by the Sea goes from strength to strength. Beyond the performance programme, several exhibitions and open studios around town provide a visual art element. John, by Nathalie Vucher | Nathalie Vucher At the Freemasons Hall, French photographer Nathalie Vucher has created an unusual collection of portraits. Vucher, who likes to made candid images with a long lens, put out an open call for redheads to come to North Berwick's Milsey Bay and, on a blustery day in June 2024, captured a collection of local men, women and children. Eve, by Nathalie Vucher | Nathalie Vucher While her subjects knew they were being photographed, the images lack the static nature of some formal portraits. Rather, there is a brief exchange with the camera in which something of themselves is revealed. An artist's talk on 2 August will be accompanied by the screening of a film about the project by local writer and filmmaker Matt Thompson. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad E-Train by Holger Mohaupt | Holger Mohaupt Meanwhile, North Berwick-based artist and photographer Holgar Mohaupt shows a collection of photographs of New York in the offices of Sutherland Roper Architects at 82 High Street. Taken while visiting the city in 2023, it's hard not to read them in light of the current political moment. A sign proclaims Times Square a gun-free zone; two Muslim women chat on a bench; the Mexican chefs in a food truck serve that most Manhattan of foods, the poppyseed bagel. City Hall, Brooklyn Bridge by Holger Mohaupt | Holger Mohaupt Mohaupt seeks out the unusual image: a tattooed runner, a shot through the window of the E Train bound for the World Trade Center, a shelf of Statue of Liberty souvenirs. In New York Library, visitors study their mobile phones under a large painting of newspaper makers. No collection of pictures could sum up New York, but these photographs show how a collection of fragments begins to make a portrait of a city.
