Heart of the House, a sound and light spectacular celebrating 25 years of The Customs House, will run from 6:00 to 10:00 on 25, 26 and 27 October, showcasing its 25 years as a cultural venue through projections on the outside of the building.
There will be images from shipbuilding and coal mining as well as music and performance with South Tyneside icons and pantomime characters popping up. The projections will feature the history, cultural rebirth and legacy of one of the most famous buildings in South Tyneside, a true celebration of the building’s past and present—a journey of nostalgia, fun and illusion.
There will also be a special route leading down to The Customs House lined with some unique flags and banners created by the people of South Tyneside in workshops with Creative Seed.
The event has been co-commissioned from NOVAK by the Customs House and the Cultural Spring.
NOVAK specialises in motion design and creates projections, art installations and stage visuals for music artists and video for theatre performances. NOVAK has had work featured across the world at some of the most highly regarded arts festivals, including Lumiere and music festivals including Glastonbury and Coachella. NOVAK also created the visuals in The Cultural Spring’s past commissions RUSH and WordPlay.
The event is free and non-ticketed and the Customs House Green Room bar and restaurant will be open and there will be access to the toilets. The event is outdoors and will go ahead whatever the weather. The projections will be on a continuous 10-minute loop so audiences can arrive and depart at any time. It is expected that there will be great demand for the limited parking spaces as there are shows running on all three nights so it is suggested that it may be advisable to park elsewhere and walk to the venue.