Marking the closing of 2018’s Great Exhibition of the North, this ceremony celebrated northern achievement, northern spirit and the centenary of women’s suffrage with a live, outdoor performance. The show also referenced Newcastle’s industrial heritage and the city’s world-famous Great North Run.

We created the protocol stage and two scenic tower cranes.  The stage featured a ‘double helix’ of curved steel tube wrapping around a central supporting structure. On top, an 8m diameter scenic radio dish was used as a large projection screen while below, the scenically recreated mundo running track formed the ground row and finished with a ‘torn’ edge.

The two 8m-high cranes referenced the riveted steelwork of the Tyne Bridge and both painted with grip paint, an additional reassurance for the performers who scaled them, triumphantly brandishing a flag from the top. A key moment saw one crane hoist a scenic iron girder emblazoned with a CNC’d and back-lit version of the suffragettes’ motto “Deeds Not Words”.