Ogden Centre Art Commission

This collaborative project united pupils and teachers from Byerley Park Primary, Newton Aycliffe & Brambles Primary Academy, Middlesbrough with artist Mel Connell and researchers at Durham University’s Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics with the aim of producing a piece of art for the building.

Following the pupils’ ideas, questions and curiosity, the team have been on a creative exploration of how we view, examine, realise and imagine our cosmos. Together, the team have explored some of the biggest mysteries of the cosmos, centred around three big themes of ‘The Observers: Looking at things in different ways’; The Creators: Building things to help us’; and ‘The Dreamers; Considering and imagining’.

In-school workshops, digital storytelling and visits to the iconic new Ogden Centre have supported the team in generating even more questions, and to examine creatively our personal responses to these big themes.

The final artwork was recently unveiled in the heart of the Ogden Centre.

The project has been supported by many partners in many ways including Business Durham, Edge Gain Ltd, Durham Creatives, The Institute of Physics, Greenfield Arts, STFC, The Ogden Trust, Creative Fuse NE, Niven Architects, Culture Bridge North East, Polyphotonix, Helen Schell & Helen Mason.

The project was featured in STFC's magazine Fascination.