New Durham art gallery a step closer
The county council has released a photo of the Aykley Heads site
Anyone with fond memories of the old DLI Museum and Art Gallery will be pleased to see progress on the site and the reality drawing a little nearer to the digital impressions of what we can expect.
The vision, as Councillor Elizabeth Scott, cabinet member for economy and partnerships at Durham County Council, explains, is for “a world class cultural venue, capable of hosting internationally significant exhibitions, offering a new space for showing DLI exhibits and providing welcome indoor and outdoor spaces for residents and visitors to feel inspired”.
Councillor Scott was joined in an inspection of the site by council leader Amanda Hopgood who also holds the North East Combined Authority portfolio for culture, creative, tourism and sport.
The development has been controversial with opponents objecting to the near £20 million cost and about disturbance to the site where Durham Light Infantry veterans’ ashes are scattered.
A motion to reject the development plans in favour of a memorial garden was defeated in a county council vote this time last year, effectively giving the green light to the proposals.
Work duly began last year to redevelop the building at Aykley Heads into a “dynamic exhibition space and creative hub”.
The new photo released by the county council shows the current state of play with a large steel frame having been erected on the site.
This, for an extension that will almost double the size of the original building, marks a development milestone, according to the authority.
“It’s fantastic to see such significant progress on site,” added Councillor Scott.
“The steel framework really shows the scale of the work we are undertaking at the DLI Museum and Art Gallery and is an exciting reminder of our ambition for the venue.”
A large part of the original shell of the DLI Museum and Art Gallery is being retained although work is being undertaken to upgrade the concrete sections to ensure they meet modern standards.
The new extension will include galley space with a ceiling height of up to five metres to allow for as much flexibility as possible.
A new access road and substation have already been completed on the site and work is currently underway to install lift shafts to access the building’s various levels.
Acknowledging the sensitivity of the site, the council commissioned artist blacksmith Graeme Hopper to create an embossed steel plate bearing the inscription: “Bravery runs through our history; courage sparks new ideas.”
Actually, there are two versions, one that will function as part of the structure of the building and be hidden from view and another that will be displayed inside the gallery.
Councillor Hopgood said when it was installed in December: “We wanted to do something meaningful to mark the milestone and acknowledge that the building holds a special place in many people's hearts.
“The artwork pays homage to the past while also expressing the need to look forward.”
The old DLI Museum and Art Gallery, with the museum on the ground floor and the gallery above, closed in 2016. There has been no dedicated space for contemporary art in the city since then.
The museum collection of DLI artefacts is now held at The Story, the new Durham visitor attraction and register office at Mount Oswald that opened last year, but some items will be displayed in a rotational basis at the new venue.
Nerys Johnson, who retired as Keeper of the DLI in 1989, would have been very pleased to see it opening once again for the people of Durham. I'm writing her biography-as-an-artist for the Nerys Johnson estate trustees which includes a short chapter on her groundbreaking two decades as a curator at Aykley Heads. Maybe the DLI would like to show her work again alongside some of her artistic heroes from the unique 'Moments of Being' Art Council touring exhibition she created in 1988?