WHEN CAN I GET INVOLVED?

The BUILD workshops take place every day from Sunday 6th to Thursday 10th August.
They will take place in the Civic Centre Banqueting Suite.
Sessions run from 0930-1300 and 1400-1730 each day.
Each session lasts 3.5 hours.
We’d like you to stay for a whole session (but tell us if you can’t and you can still get involved).

The CONSTRUCTION workshop takes place on Friday 11th August.
It will take place on Ceremonial Way outside Newcastle Civic Centre.
We will start at 0900 and expect it to take up to 8 hours.
You can come and join us for as short or as long as you want - but you need to sign up.

The DECONSTRUCTION workshop takes place on Sunday 13th August.
It will take place on Ceremonial Way outside Newcastle Civic Centre.
We will start at 1700 and joyfully destroy the Construction we made together until 1900.
You can come and join us for as short or as long as you want - but you need to sign up.

WHO IS OLIVIER GROSSETÊTE?

Since 2003, Olivier Grossetête has built his Participative Monumental Constructions made from Cardboard across the world. With almost 200 different constructions, he has visited five continents and recruited thousands of people in his adventures made of cardboard and tape.

This Summer, Olivier comes to Newcastle for the first time and you, your family, and your friends are an important part of bringing this huge architectural art piece come to life.

This architectural and participative project invites you to take part in an artistic and human adventure: adults, children, older people, and people with all abilities are invited to be part of the Monumental Structure workshops. During the workshop you will work alongside the artist, his team and your peers to bring a new design, created for Newcastle and its communities, to life!

Together we will build the blocks and frames to create Olivier's bespoke architectural design. You, your group, your team, and your family are invited to participate in this gigantic and spectacular project that is the construction of a piece of art inspired by Newcastle's local architecture, made with only cardboard boxes and tape!

We will create and build our Monumental Structure without any machines, just the artist alongside hundreds of local participants. The monument can go up to 25 meters (82 feet), be made of 1,500 cardboard boxes, and weigh more than a ton and a half!

WHO CAN DO IT?

All workshops are suitable for children over 9 years+ of age and for people with additional needs.

All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult /legal guardian and will not be permitted to stay at the workshop space alone.

We will have break-out or quiet spaces available.

The venue and site are wheelchair and pushchair accessible.

WHAT WILL THE BUILD TEAM BE DOING?

On arrival at the workshop you will be welcomed to the workshop space and have a short presentation of photos and a video of the artist's career and creations.

The artistic team will talk you through the construction plans and operating instructions then offer an explanation of building instructions for the cuts and joints and what is needed for the final installation.

With the artistic team, you will start to create the specific parts according to the plans to build different elements such as doors, arches, roofs…

Finally storing and stocking the created parts for the grand installation on Friday 11th August between 9 am - 6 pm (be sure to come back for that part too!)

WHAT HAPPENS THEN??

After 5 days of creative workshops, we will come together to construct the building blocks of Newcastle's first 'Monumental Structure.' During these workshops, we will have followed the artistic team’s instructions and plans to build and shape the many pieces of the structure. Now, we will come back together, ready to put the pieces in place at the front of the Civic Centre on Ceremonial Way.

WHAT WILL THE CONSTRUCTION TEAM DO?

Under the instruction of Olivier and his team, we welcome you back to bring your artistic installation to life.

First, we assemble and construct the tallest part: roof, dome, or steeple which could reach from 5 to 8m high.

Then elevating storey by storey, it will build up. More storeys will be added, metre by metre, by pulling up the structure in order to slide an extra level of cardboard under the base, until the required level has been reached.

You and the artist team will work together on the completion of the construction. Once the construction has been achieved, we can enjoy this artistic creation both inside and outside before enjoying a free music event for the official opening of the festival (psst it is only free to those who help to bring the Monumental Structure to life on Friday!)

We will start early at 9am and we expect it to take up to 8 hours, but don't worry, you can come and join us for as short or as long as you want.

WHAT HAPPENS THEN???

On Sunday 13 August 2023 at 5 pm the communities that built and constructed the Monumental Structure with Olivier and his team will come together in a final day of celebration of Newcastle and the communities that live, work, and play there.

After a weekend of workshops, music, and events we will deconstruct our architectural and art installation returning the Civic Centre to how it was until NOVUM returns in 2024.

WHAT WILL THE DECONSTRUCTION TEAM DO?

The team guides and lowers the monument with members of the community supporting them. After its collapse, we will come and walk and jump on the boxes to compress them before we take them to the recycling truck.

This is an integral part of the project, this symbolic moment is also joyful as we share the project we created, made, and demolished together - through the sharing of the collective community experience by creating a work of art, encouraging links together, and making memories for a lifetime.