Spend a Monumental Night in a One-Off Work of Art in Gateshead, Newcastle
21 May 2008
It’s not every day you get to wake up 150 feet in the air, under the stony gaze of one of the UK ’s most celebrated prime ministers, and taking part in one of the most high-profile art installations taking place in the UK this summer.
Visitors to NewcastleGateshead will be doing just that if they’re lucky enough to check into Hotel Monument, a fully functioning luxury hotel room, complete with reception and room service, at the top of the iconic Grey’s Monument in the centre of the Geordie capital.
The ultra-exclusive hotel will be fully-functioning with its own bathroom and, as in any hotel worth its salt, an overnight stay will include a tasty breakfast.
But the main draw of this unique boutique experience will be the larger-than-life figure of Earl Grey - the former Prime Minister’s towering stone effigy, which has gazed down on the city since 1838, who will stand in the centre of this hotel with a difference, dominating the room.
The five-star creation is the vision of world-renowned Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi, who proposed the project to encourage people to have greater connection with art in public spaces.
Construction will start in July and the hotel will open for business from 15 August to 15 September, subject to planning, as part of EAST’08, a world-class celebration of contemporary Asian culture in North East England.
Hotel Monument will certainly ensure that Earl Grey will never be seen in the same way again by the visitors who will be sharing a room with him.
For those who miss out on the opportunity to bed down with Grey for the night, the room will be open during the day, so members of the public will be able to get up close and personal with the great man, and also enjoy the stunning panoramic views of the city.
But from 7pm the room will function as a normal hotel, with private access only to the room with some of the most unusual views in town, both inside and out. Demand is expected to be high and it’ll be first-come, first-served when booking starts later this summer.
A dedicated website will offer a virtual tour and act as a legacy for a one-off work of art. For information, visit the website at www.hotelmonument.org.uk.
Hotel Monument has been commissioned by Locus+ on behalf of culture10, the festivals and events arm of NewcastleGateshead Initiative with the support of Ryder Architecture and Faber Maunsell, and with funding from One NorthEast, the Grainger Trust and Henry Moore Foundation.
About the Artist, Tatzu Nishi
The artist Tatzu Nishi was born in 1960 in Nagoya , Japan. He studied at Musashino Art University , Tokyo from 1981-84 and later at Kunstakadamie Munster, Munster, Germany from 1989-1997.
He has exhibited internationally including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles , Den Haag in the Netherlands and Museum voor Actuele Kunst in Gent , Belgium. His current practice focuses on creating environments for sculptures and monuments in the public realm that pose questions and invent new contexts through the transformation of space.
Nishi’s work deals with ideas about contexts for works of art, history and the present, the spaces that surround things, about urbanity and, ultimately, the fabric of society.
About Earl Grey
One of the foremost politicians of his generation Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, was born into a prominent Northumberland family in 1764. A Whig MP from the age of 22, he became leader of the party in 1806 and British Prime Minister in 1830, overseeing the Reform Act 1832 which the Monument was built to commemorate in 1838.
Most famously, Earl Grey tea is named after Grey but he also gave his name to Grey Street in Newcastle and Grey College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Durham.