Can you solve the Spacehopper girl mystery?
CAN YOU HELP SOLVE THE GIRL ON SPACEHOPPER MYSTERY?
WHO is the girl on the spacehopper?
A new documentary and exhibition will attempt to solve the mystery and understand the poignancy of one of the most iconic photos taken in Newcastle.
Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen’s ‘The Girl On A Spacehopper’ is taken from her collection ‘Byker,’ a stunning series capturing life in the east end of Newcastle in the early 1970s.
The black and white image, taken in 1971 before the demolition of terraces to make way for the Byker estate, is part of the permanent collection at Tate Modern in London.
Now, with the 50th anniversary of the picture in sight, the AmberSide collective, which runs the Side gallery in Newcastle, is launching a project to celebrate the image and solve the enduring mystery at its heart.
Several women believe they may be the person in the image but the truth has never been fully established.
The photographer said: “I remember the moment well. This feisty young girl bounced past me on a back lane in Byker where I lived.
“She was wearing her mother’s sequined dress tied with a velvet sash, her long hair flying. I don’t know who the girl was.
“Many times we’ve come close to finding out and maybe as part of this project we will solve the mystery. I can’t wait.”
Throughout the summer, AmberSide is collection responses to the image ahead of a new exhibition later in the year.
The new film Looking for the Girl On A Spacehopper will be completed by 2021 and a date for the exhibition will be announced in coming months. If you would like to share your words or photographs, videos, voice recordings or anything else, please send it to AmberSide at spacehopper@amber-online.com. Any submissions may play a part in the unfolding and ongoing story of the Girl On A Spacehopper and possibly be shared in the film and in an exhibition at the Side Gallery.