Maps Without Centres: Peripheral Monuments

This exhibition examined Newcastle’s urban peripheries through collective drawing, walking as creative practice, collage, photography, and live project methods. It examined the relationship between pedagogy and curatorship in architectural theory and practice, demonstrating how a research-embedded pedagogical experiment generates new insights into the spatial and cultural conditions of the urban periphery. The exhibition comprised drawings from undergraduate architecture students from Northumbria University School of Architecture, photo essays by students from Neuro Gallery in Newcastle, and collages by visual art students from Newcastle College developed through a live charrette. A methodological aim was to test the potential of the charrette as a research and curatorial method as well as generative of exhibition material. The project deepens collaboration between higher and further education, local artists, and community groups, connecting creative practice with public dialogue. It marks the beginning of an ongoing partnership between Northumbria School of Architecture, Newcastle College, Neuro Gallery, and regional practitioners, advancing research on urban peripheries and the civic and cultural value of architectural education.

Mandela Building
19 September - 2 October 2025

Acknowledgements
With thanks in particular to Peter McArdle, Lauren Wright, and Elaine Robertson. We would like to thank all of the students for their engagement and participation in this project, at its various stages.