Creative Central NCL announces commissioned artists for The Late Shows 2025

Creative Central NCL has announced the commissioned artists for three exciting new projects as part of The Late Shows 2025.

This year’s commissions reflect the vibrant, collaborative, and forward-thinking spirit of Newcastle’s cultural scene, supporting innovative partnerships that bring together art, community, science and heritage.

Debbie Todd x Arcadea CIO in Waterloo Square

In collaboration with Arcadea CIO photographer Debbie Todd has been selected to create new work celebrating Arcadea’s move into a new space in Waterloo Square.

Founded in 1991, Arcadea is a disability arts charity which works to further the cultural equality of disabled people in Newcastle. The charity’s Hub Studio and ICEbox youth club specialise in providing creative opportunities for learning disabled artists.

Debbie will collaborate with Arcadea’s artists to develop this commission, generating photographic portraits that will feature in their studio art works.

With its large street-facing windows, the venue offers a bold canvas for new work, which Debbie will use to create a visually striking installation transforming the space and capturing the attention of passers-by and those visiting The Late Shows.

Debbie Todd is known for her collaborative approach to storytelling through photography, working alongside marginalised and underrepresented communities. Her work centres on better representation, capturing lived experiences with honesty and creativity.

Speaking about the commission, Debbie said:

“It has been a joy to work with such a forward-thinking organisation and their incredible, talented members. I’m looking forward to everyone seeing this project at The Late Shows.”

Arcadea CIO Katy Saunderson said:

“Debbie’s commission will announce Arcadea’s positive move back to the city centre. She is working on a sensitive yet stunning profile of our artists and their work for the public realm which we will continue to build upon in Waterloo Square, providing crucial provision and promotion for disabled artists.”

Imogen Cloët x BioKnit Team at The Coach House

Creative Central NCL has also partnered with The Coach House and the BioKnit research team from Newcastle University to support a second exciting commission.

As part of The Late Shows 2025, The Coach House, a historic brick building near Charlotte Square, will host a living bio sculpture developed by the BioKnit team, named Pupa, a mycelium-based installation that explores the intersection of textiles, biotechnology, and architecture.

The BioKnit Pupa installation transforms The Coach House into a living laboratory, where fungal mycelium grows and weaves through 3D knitted fabric to form a series of organic arches and canopies.

Dr. Jane Scott Academic Lead for Living Textiles in the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment said, “Our process is an experiment in growth as construction. BioKnit is formed by the growth of fungal mycelium inside a 3D knitted fabric. We inject the mycelium into the fabrics in a paste formulation, this also contains sawdust which provides nutrition for the mycelium to consume and bind to during growth. After two weeks of growing the structure is transformed from a soft flexible textile into a robust biocomposite. This enormous structure is suspended in The Coach House and we can see how the mycelium has created incredible organic curvature unique to the space.”

Award-winning visual artist, designer and curator Imogen Cloët will work with BioKnit’s scientists to develop an artistic response that not only enhances the visual impact of the installation but also invites reflection on how biotechnology can transform our built environments.

Known for her immersive, playful and research-led installations, Imogen has spent the past two decades creating site-responsive work for heritage spaces across the UK. Her background in theatre underpins her collaborative, storytelling approach, with previous commissions from National Trust, English Heritage, BBC, Channel 4, and many others. In 2022, she was named North East Visual Artist of the Year at the Culture Awards.

Commenting on her commission, Imogen said:

“I’m very happy to have been chosen for the commission and I am excited to have the opportunity to work alongside the innovative team of scientists, architects and students that make up the BioKnit team at Newcastle University, and to create something special in The Coach House that works with and responds to their work.”

Both commissions are supported by Creative Central NCL in partnership with The Late Shows as part of its ongoing mission to support local creativity, drive collaboration, and create opportunities for artists and creatives in central Newcastle.

Note: If you have a known mushroom allergy, it could be triggered by this event, therefore, we kindly ask you not to attend for your own safety.

GRAEME x Cobalt Central at the Grainger Market

As well as these new commissions, Creative Central NCL is partnering with Cobalt and artist GRAEME to bring interactive creative experiences to the Grainger Market.

You Colour It In invites members of the public to stop by for a chat with GRAEME, who will create a one-of-a-kind typographic illustration inspired by each conversation. It’s a chance for people to see themselves reflected in a playful, artistic way, and to take home a little piece of the encounter.

“I use the Grainger Market regularly anyway,” GRAEME said “but this commission involves experiencing it from a different angle. A lot of my work starts with people watching, engaging people in conversation and seeing where it leads, and it’s not that difficult to get a conversation going in the Grainger Market if you want one!”

Alongside You Colour It In Cobalt Central will have live DJ sets from L.A.D.S across the evening as well as a chance to talk to the Cobalt team about their exciting plans for the year ahead in partnership with Creative Central NCL.

Visit them all and much more during The Late Shows 2025 on Saturday 17 May 2025.