Ouseburn, a Movie, the Beach & Hot Chocolate

On an overcast Saturday, John and I set out to explore the creative hub of Ouseburn Valley. A stone’s throw away from Quayside, the Ouseburn Valley is a revitalised industrial part of Newcastle flourishing with an artist community of painters, potters, jewellery-makers, comedians and musicians. The valley rests under the lofty Ouseburn viaduct and is dotted with art galleries, theatres, pubs and warehouses of creative studios.

Our fist stop was Seven Stories, a children’s book centre. We popped in to check out the huge book store filled with colourful children’s books, a few little toys and tiny lounge areas with miniature armchairs and sofas.



Our main aim for the trip to Ouseburn was to make it to the Biscuit Factory. A large warehouse with 2 floors of gallery and exhibition space that one could spend hours wondering around. There are also artist studios on the premises and a wonderful café called the Byker Vista Café, a bright space which offers expansive views of the Ouseburn Valley and great food. John and I stopped there for a coffee and toasted bacon and brie sandwiches after a wonder around the gallery. There is a tonne of local talent here and John and I felt we could have easily snapped up a few pieces today. I particularly enjoyed Anja Percival’s atmospheric paintings and sketches, and Anthony Marshall’s colourful interpretations and abstractions of Newcastle city.



After a morning of art and eating, we were off to see Shrek 3 at the cinemas in town. We felt slightly out of place among the little kids and parents, but enjoyed a good laugh with our favourite characters Shrek, Donkey and Puss in Boots, whom we assigned as names to each other during our days at Sydney Uni with Jonny (can you guess who is who?).



In the late afternoon, we decided to venture to the coast, a 20 minute drive from the town centre. Unlike home, the coastline is almost uninhabited, with only a sprinkling of homes and quiet pubs as you drive along the long stretch of road and through the roundabouts. We stopped at a familiar beach to John and his family and only walked for a little before deciding that the wind and the rain made it too cold to be out for long.







Back in town, we ended up at a warmer place, a favourite find of mine called the Side Café which also has a little independent cinema out the back. John and I had hot chocolates by the window, looking out onto the street that winds its way down to Quayside. The café is a cosy place, with its wooden floorboards and friendly staff who kindly welcomed me to Newcastle.

A Visit to Dott07

The call for entries for the Design Council-Northumbria University PhD requested, not only an interest emerging methods of design, but also a capture of stories of the regeneration program happening in north-east England called Designs of the Time (Dott07).

The best 2-second summary of Dott07 is in their own words:

“Dott 07 is a year of community projects, events and exhibitions based in North East England that explore what life in a sustainable region could be like – and how design can help us get there.”


The program has been running now for 18 months and come October this year, the projects come to a close rounding up with a Dott07 Festival in Newcastle, to share the experiences of how design has helped improve the lives of people in this region.

The projects have been undertaken with some of the UK’s most innovative design firms such as Engine, Zest and live | work, who aren't involved in the design of tangible products, but the design of intangible services. My research will be looking at the context and methods of service design and Dott07 will be used as a major case study to underpin the research (and that’s as much as I know about my PhD so far! I have 3 months to play in a pre-research research stage).

I set out on Tuesday to visit the Dott07 office, a 15 minute walk from my flat, for a meeting with the Executive Producer, Robert. I am still very much in the stage of discovering and finding my way around Newcastle, so like any foreign person to a place, everything was new and I was on high alert soaking up the streets and architecture. At the end of this piece (as to not take away from the Dott07 visit) I have dropped in photos I took along my journey to and from the Dott07 office.

The Dott07 offices are located behind Newcastle’s Central train station, a light industrial part of town which is a funny mix of pubs, commercial offices, warehouses and remanent of the old Town Walls. I arrived on time at the heritage-listed Robert Stephenson Centre which houses the Dott07 office and two other companies.

The Robert Stephenson Centre was the first purpose-built locomotive factory and is named after one of the founding fathers of the railway, Robert Stephenson.



The space is large and cool, with beautiful original wooden beams and glass ceilings that let the sunlight stream. As the building is heritage listed and its original structure could not be modified, the Dott07 offices are contained in a handful of pods around the perimeter.



I had already met Robert in London at the Design Council, but we hardly got a chance to get to know each other then, so Tuesday morning was about sitting down and doing just that.



Robert gave me a good understanding of the Dott07 operation and its 17 (!!) projects. He also introduced me to the rest of the Dott07 office whom I will be spending the next couple of weeks getting to know, and next couple of months joining on trips to the live projects. After absorbing it all, I had a wonder around the space before heading back to my flat, just as the rain began to fall.

Quayside on a Sunday

As I had spent my Saturday inside, Sunday definitely deserved a day outside.

I decided to head down to the Quayside and discover what it had to offer for an individual such as myself who likes the water, architecture, shops and art galleries. I am happy to report that the Quayside satisfied these desires of the day.

Sometimes when you get so used to a place, you often miss the beauty of it. A way to see different things in a familiar place is to adjust ones eyes to a different level for awhile. I spent most of my walk down, looking up at the old buildings of Newcastle's Quayside pleasantly surprised to discover some neat little architectural wonders right at my doorstep...







Down by the water, I walked for the first time, across the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian and cycle bridge built in 2000 and opened in 2001.



Pivots (where the white arms of the bridge are anchored) allow the bridge to tilt, much like a big blinking eye. The bridge does a single tilt on Sundays at 12.30pm and I happened to be right on time to see it from the other side.





Right next to the bridge stands the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.



I had heard rumours that the architecture of the building outdoes the art inside. Let's just say that I was really impressed by the archiectural remodelling of what used to be an old flour mill on the river banks of the Tyne River.

I had a quick peek at the contemporary art exhibits, such as an Andy Warhol's Dazed and Confused, displaying a mix of Warhol's dynamic print, video, photography and installation work. The glass lifts zoomed me up to the posh rooftop restaurant (sorry, bookings only!), Level 5 viewing deck to see a friend, the steel twig man, and finally down to the art gallery shop for a bit of design book thumbing and quirky things browsing (tip: students should always ask if they offer student discounts. This fabulous shop gives me 10% off everything!).







Making my way back home, I walked along Quayside dotted with half a dozen Sunday market stalls, admiring more architecture and two of Newcastle's seven bridges. The furtherest one I have been over a couple of times already on the train to London.





A big day out sight-seeing the city's Quayside deserves a hot chocolate and Sunday newspaper in the afternoon. Till the next adventure...

The Great News!

The beginning of the week deserved a post of its own, but so does the close of this week...

Yesterday afternoon (Australian time) Geoff successfully secured a job in the London Deloitte office. He will begin an 18 month secondment in the UK on September the 1st, 2007!

Remarkably, the same day that I have to hand in my Initial Project Application (IPA), the first milestone of my PhD that will confirm its direction and give the faculty confidence in my research and progress for the next 3 years.

So, it's been a big week and I have been spending my weekend winding down with a movie, lots of skype-ing and just relaxing.

The Design Council

The much anticipated visit to the Design Council in London happened this week. In case you didn’t know, my PhD is a 3-year full-time research program that is fully-funded by the Design Council and Northumbira University. Usually students go into PhD with their own agenda, but for me, the Design Council and Northumbria have set some parameters for my research (which is great because I often get lost in the sea of design knowledge I have in my head!).

The Design Council have been a source of inspiration for me since my undergrad uni days and I have always used their knowledge pools for my study and work. So you can imagine, I was very excited (and a little nervous) to be visiting them!

On Monday afternoon I set off by train with my supervisor to London. After checking into our hotel we parted for dinner engagements. I caught up with an old UTS friend of mine Karen for dinner. We have not seen each other in years and it was the one-and-only Facebook that put us in touch again (may I add that Facebook is a wonderfully stupid thing. Wonderful for putting you in touch with long-lost friends and stupid because it’s the biggest distraction ever!). Karen and I dined in the quaint Covent Garden and had a fantastic catch up on life, work and design.



Tuesday marked my introduction to the Design Council. Our first meeting was at 1pm so Bob and I went to the British Museum in the morning to enjoy the space, light and architecture and also discuss the PhD and tactics for the upcoming Design Council meetings.



We arrived at the Design Council offices at Covent Garden at 1pm.



I was given a tour of the light-filled two-storey office space, with its high ceilings, punctuations of primary colours, meeting pods and lounges, library (pictured below), full-time kitchen/café and internal lamp posts (in recognition of the building’s heritage and ownership by telco company BT). The offices were much bigger than I had expected and the Design Council was far more influential in the UK than I had imagined.



The Design Council employs around 70 people and sits under the DTI (Department of Trade and Investments) a government agency that is responsible for supporting and promoting UK businesses. The Design Council describe themselves as the national strategic body for design in the UK. They don’t do design projects, they design and advise on programs, research and policy to raise the awareness of design and how to use design in business, government and education.

After my tour (which was tonnes to absorb), it was back-to-back meetings with the stakeholders of my PhD. This included Andrea, Head of Design Knowledge at the Design Council, who is my second supervisor, and the leadership team of Dott07 (Designs of the Time 2007), the regeneration program happening in the North East that I shall use as a case study in my PhD. Dott07 is sponsored by the Design Council and regional development agencies, and uses design to effect social, community and environmental change in regional England. Dott07 is a high profile program for the Design Council and its projects have encompassed innovative approaches to solving social and environmental problems.

During our meetings we were also joined by Mary, a PhD student from East London University. Mary came into touch with the Design Council, Northumbria University and Dott07 as her PhD subject matter has taken a similar form to mine and she is to use Dott07 as a case study for her paper too. Mary is doing her PhD part-time while she is establishing her own design company called Uscreates.



By the time 6pm rolled around, I was feeling drained from being a big sponge and soaking it all up, but it was onto drinks night at the Design Council for a panel discussion with the Design Council’s Chief Executive, David Kester and the Program Director of Dott07, John Thackara. It was an interesting event to watch and also hear, as invited designers, design managers, design students and design clients, participated in a discussion about where design was heading and the state of design in the UK.



After the panel, Bob and I were off to the train station as we had a 3 hour train ride back to Newcastle. We settled into our first class seats, exhausted from the day, as the train pulled out of London and into the night.

Northumbria University Introductions

My first week as a Northumbria University PhD student has come and gone. It is Sunday evening and I have been winding down after a busy week of absorbing everything. I feel like a well soaked sponge!

I begun my week on Monday morning meeting one of my supervisors, Professor Robert Young, who is the Associate Dean of the Design School. It was great to finally put a face to the name as it has been several months since he last interviewed me over the phone.

I was also introduced to the Centre for Design Research (CfDR), an office which houses the university's design consultancy and postgraduate research. I didn't know what to expect for how I was to work on this PhD, but it was a pleasant surprise to be given a desk and a computer in the office. I much prefer to be surrounded by people than working in isolation in my little flat (I tried this on Tuesday and felt really homesick all alone!).



My week was filled with complicated enrolling procedures, several meetings with Bob and other members of university staff, and chats with individuals around the office. It was great to hear about the work, teaching, ideas and research in design that are going on at the university.

But my focus of the week was very much about trying to figure out exactly what my PhD is going to be about. The very first thing I did after meeting Bob, the CfDR office and my new desk, was to head out and search for a book to mind map my way through the week. It really helped untangle the heap in my brain. I filled more than 20 crisp white pages, no problem!



I really appreicated the time to reflect and while there are no concrete answers yet (I'm not sure if there will be for awhile) I am looking forward to exploring the state of design in the UK and making lots of wonderful connections.

Edinburgh- The last leg of my tour

We had an early start with a 7.50am train to Edinburgh from Newcastle. The train was a quick 1.5 hours to Edinburgh with some nice sight seeing on the way of the English coastline and seaside towns.

We arrived at Edinburgh and emerged from Waverly station to be met with the city's wide streets and grand old buildings. There is a lot here which is reminiscent of Paris. It is most probably like this for it's never-ending streets where the old buildings stretch for as far as the eye can see. There are also tiny laneways to discover in Edinburgh as you walk down the Royal Mile towards Edinburgh Castle.

On our way to the castle, we picked up Scottish strawberries- the best punnet we have had so far on our trip. Mum and I also couldn't resist picking up some cashmere sweaters. Scotland is the home of cashmere after all!



When we made it to the castle we wondered around the historical stone site, visiting the different parts to see the stories of the Scottish Royals and Crown Jewels. The views from the top of the castle drop over the city and were stunning. You can even see the coastline from here.



In the afternoon, we went back to our apartment for some relaxation and to meet John (who kindly drove up later with Mum and Aunty Kew's luggage!). We had a cosy dinner at the apartment before retiring to watch a DVD and head to bed.

The next day we walked around town and to Princes Park. The park sinks into a small valley which separates Princes Street (the main shopping strip of Edinburgh) and The Royal Mile.



During our walk we stumbled across a small creative hub of the city. A little street flanked by two galleries. We paid a visit to the spaces, which lent themselves to the expression of some big ideas. It was a great taster for my up and coming uni week.



Mum, Aunty Kew and I said our goodbyes in Edinburgh. We have had a fabulous time together traveling, eating, sight-seeing and shopping. There are many, many stories, photos (as you have seen) and great times we have shared. I miss them and their company a lot.



It will just be me for a bit now. Until Geoff arrives in the UK in the coming months.

The Lake District

The Lake District is a picturesque part of the English countryside, located in north west England, just 1.5 hours drive from Newcastle. The lush green mountains, windy country roads, stacked stone walls, lakes and quaint little English towns make it a very beautiful sight and popular holiday destination. As the car winds through the coutryside, along the Derwentwater, you pass through several of the Lake District towns filled with B&B’s, boutique shops, restaurants and cafes.



We chose to stay in a place called Windermere on the Derwentwater. It is a unique little town with narrow streets and little houses.





Our B&B was quietly tucked away in the back streets and we had two lovely hosts and two pretty rooms.



Windermere's town centre is just 15 mins from Beatrix Potter's home, a popular tourist attraction, so popular that when we reached there we were greeted with a long line of cars waiting to get into the carpark! We made an executive decision to give this one a miss and headed to Windermere's neighbouring town, Ambleside for some retail therapy.

On our way out of the Lake District, John stopped at an unknown but spectacular lookout. Among the sheep and lambs, we enjoyed sweeping views down the mountain and to the lake.



Our last stop before heading back to Newcastle was a place called Reghead for lunch. Back in Newcastle, we were invited over to dinner by John's parents and had a very English meal of chicken roast, cooked vegetables and potatoes. Hot apple pie, ice cream and tea was for dessert. We had a lovely time getting to know the Tabari's, enjoying their company, stories and of course playing with their Corgie Geordie.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne- A new home

We have gotten very used to the 3 hour train ride, so the ride from London’s Kings Cross to Newcastle Central was easy and quick. The GNER trains that reach England’s regional towns are more modern than the Eurostar, and I was glad seeing as I know I will be making this trip a lot once Geoff arrives in London and for my work with the Design Council.

Before we hopped on the train, Pete took me out to breakfast at the nearby Café Rouge. It’s a big, but cosy, French café with a red and gold interior. We enjoyed a good catch up before I headed to Kings Cross with Mum and Aunty Kew in a black cab with out 7+ pieces of luggage we were taking with us to Newcastle!

After a long and cold wait at the draft-y Kings Cross Station we were off to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, my new home for the next few years. I wasn’t really nervous until the train pulled into the platform. My heart was beating loud as we pulled into Newcastle’s Central Station. We were right on time to be greeted by the sun breaking through the clouds and my old Sydney Uni friend John and his father, waiting on the platform.

The only person I know who was born and grew up in England is John and he just happens to live with his family in Newcastle. We both still mention how bizarre it is that of all places I could have come in England it was be his hometown!

John and I studied Marketing together at Sydney Uni with another friend of ours Jonny. Together we survived 3-hour Marketing lectures on Friday nights while completing our Masters. John was from England and Jonny had come from Austria. Both of them lived and studied at Sydney Uni for a year in 2005.

We checked Mum and Aunty Kew into their serviced apartment which was such a contrast to our tiny London hotel. It was h-u-g-e! With a fully equipped kitchen, large dining and living area, 2 bedrooms, one with en-suite and a big main bathroom.

While they settled in, I went to John’s to meet his Mum and dog, a Cardigan Corgie, Geordie, who can sit upright on his backside! We went out to dinner at El Coto, a Spanish restaurant for Spanish tapas and strong coffee.



I stayed at the Tabari’s cosy, thoughtfully decorated home for the night and awoke today to overcast skies and drizzling rain. John and I set out to check into my university residence, Knoll Court, on Melbourne Street (would you believe?) in the city. The check-in was easy and my room is.. well roomy! It has an en-suite, a large desk, heaps of storage space and a single bed. There is a huge shared kitchen and lounge area which is sunny and bright. My room number is 50C, which is on the highest floor and the inner-most block from the front gate.



We went to sushi train with John for dinner as he had mentioned one of the many things he misses about Sydney is its great sushi.



So what are my first impressions of Newcastle…? Well I can’t tell you much yet except that it is more urban and more city-like than I expected. It is much larger a city than what one would think for a population of 250 000. There are less people here than in London, the water from the tap is drinkable (London’s contains an erosive lime scale) and the people are really nice (they give way to you in traffic- so not Sydney, and go the extra mile to help you out if you need). Here are some landmarks around the city...

Looking to Greys Monument in the city centre

Millennium Bridge on the Tyne River

The Sage Gateshead, Newcastle's music and arts centre

Down at the Quayside, looking towards the Tyne Bridge (notice any similarities?)