Why is there a bright red shipping container in Middlesbrough Central Square? Who put it there, and why?
It is part of the Great North Passion….. now read on…..
An Easter staple, the public re-telling of the Passion story marks the last moments of Jesus’ life and is traditionally staged in an outside setting with the involvement of the local community.
Northumberland, Middlesbrough, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead and Sunderland will house 12 shipping containers. Each will have an associated artist or artists who will transform the giant steel box into a work of art, reflecting both the spirit of the community in which it is situated as well as coming to represent one of the Stations of the Cross. These 12 containers will join over 50 others as part of an iconic installation in the shape of a cross for the Good Friday event, by which the public can experience the story of the Passion, from Christ’s trial and suffering to his eventual death.
The Middlesbrough container will eventually house the work of two local artists – musician Maurice Dezou and visual artist Adrian Moule, both working with community groups. Maurice will be working with a group of women of African origin, now living on Teesside, to create an original piece of music, and Adrian will work with a varied group of people to create a backdrop for the performance of the music.
The two creations will take as their theme the 8th Station of the Cross – Christ meets the Women of Jerusalem. This represents an act of human kindness to a stranger, and most particularly to a stranger who is likely to be cast out or rejected by the crowd, so it has a lot of resonance for many people, whether or not you are religious.
The twelve art-filled shipping containers will subsequently join the others at Bent’s Park, South Shields, for the Good Friday event, and the BBC will broadcast live from this temporary container cathedral; the broadcast will feature some of the community groups involved and their artworks, and will include some excerpts from the making of the various pieces.
This ambitious live event will take place on Good Friday, 18th April, to be broadcast on BBC1 at midday.
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Please note: you can register for tickets at any time until Monday 24 March at 10am.