How Angel of the North is now a shrine
THE Angel of the North has not only developed into a powerful symbol of the North East, it has also become a special site where people remember their loved ones.
Now the way in which people are leaving many kinds of memorials and messages is to be studied by Newcastle University’s Professor Anne Whitehead.
In a practice which began several years ago, a copse of trees a few minutes’ walk from the outstretched 54ft wingspan of the Angel has been turned into a location where flowers, ribbons, a variety of objects including toys, cards and written notes are left.
Prof Whitehead, who lives nearby, will examine why the Angel site has become a focus for grief, loss and happier memories.
As professor of modern and contemporary literature, one of her fields of research is memory studies – how and through what ways individuals remember events and people, and how the past is recalled. Some of the memorials are left at the feet of the Angel itself, but the main focus is amongst the trees.
“It has become a memorial site. Some of the items which are left are really moving, and sometimes you can feel the weight of people’s grief,” she said.
“I don’t know how it started, but has gained momentum. Sometimes memorials are left at a site where something has happened, such as an accident, but the Angel is not such a case and it is very unusual.
“It may be a response to the Angel itself. It may be something about the Angel which people feel is significant.”
Prof Whitehead is appealing for people who have left tokens to contact her and talk about why they see the site as special and have used it as a place of memories.
She will work with Newcastle University PhD student
and sound recordist David de la Haye on a project called Sounding the Angel, which is supported by the Catherine Cookson Foundation.
“I am excited to explore the resonance of the Angel, both physically and emotionally, at this special location” said David.
Professor Whitehead said: “The trees nearby have become a spontaneous grassroots memorial where people leave messages and tokens for their loved ones. We will produce a shared story about the objects that are left there and what The Angel means to those who leave objects at the memorial site.”
The plan is to record conversations with people who leave objects at The Angel. Extracts will be combined with field recordings that document the different seasons at the site to make a sound work of 15-20 minutes duration.
This will include recording the sounds around the Angel,
such as birds, rustling leaves or traffic, and using special microphones to pick up the humming vibrations from the sculpture itself.
The work will be exhibited in the Arches Sound Project at Newcastle University next July.
Sound installations are played in the Arches on the university campus, and listeners will be able to see Angel creator Antony Gormley’s ‘Clasp’ sculpture, which was installed nearby.