Hot Contents

Hot Contents’ is a visual arts exhibition exploring the relationships between the past and present industrial heritage of the North East and the climate emergency.

The society we live in has been built on the foundations of industry. In the North East, our industrial culture and landscape – from coal mining to steel working, textile production to large-scale engineering – is a significant part of our regional identity. Industry has played an important part in shaping our cities, towns and communities. However, the growth of industry has also played a significant role in accelerating the climate and ecological emergency: from the pollution caused by industrial waste to the growth and profit-oriented actions that shape our local environments.

‘Hot Contents’ imagines a near future where unsustainable growth and over-production has dramatically changed our landscape. Taking the form of brightly coloured video installations, sound maps and living sculptures, the work in this exhibition explores possible futures through local sites of transition, spaces of resistance, and climate action that aims to shape a positive future for the town.

About the Artist

Matt Denham is a visual artist based in Newcastle. From the visible and invisible structures driving the climate emergency to experiences of ageing in austerity, from the architecture that defines our daily lives to the values that shape our future, his research-led practice explores shared experiences of our physical, virtual and psychological environments in a changing society. Starting with intimate stories of people and place, his video installation artworks reveal and connect global issues.

‘Hot Contents’ is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Creative Darlington.