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Credit: Libby Pattison

INFORMATION

THORNFEST launches with an exhibition of art from young people across the North East, accompanied by an evening of live music and poetry performances. 

Watch for announcements on the line-up and information about some of the artists involved in the exhibition.

Photograph: Dion Dobrzynski

Friday 26th February 2016
Doors 17:00, performances begin at 20:00
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Venue: Unit 1, The Gates Shopping Centre, Durham, DH1 4SJ; facing onto Milburngate

TICKETS

Tickets for this event are no longer available

line up and artists

Photo credit: Max Guy Openshaw

Soham De: Thorn are delighted to announce our headline of the evening, Soham De. Soham wrote his first song at 10 years old; now 18, Soham plays at a multitude of venues and festival across the UK, and in September 2015 independently released his debut album 'Ghost'.

Soham has supported artists such as Gabrielle Aplin, Saint Raymond, Bondax and Kal Lavelle. He has performed at venues such as The Bedford, The Waterfront, The Junction and Selwyn College as part of Cambridge University's 2015 Mayball. He's also had radio play on many of his songs including mutiple plays (and live performances) on BBC introducing in Norfolk amongst other radio stations and has been played on televsion on shows such as BBC1 Look East and Cambridge TV. 

listen here

"I am denied the providence of stars,
bitter as the morning rain.
Instead you guide me through the velvet night,
until my fingers bury themselves in burning embers,
among the willow branches of your hair."

Sofya Grebenkina: "I like to think sometimes that I am composed of two cultures - the adopted English and my native Russian. However, often it’s not a simple harmonious synthesis of the two, but rather a gradual process of acceptance that I will neither be one or the other, and the two will always grapple for space with each other. My poetry is an attempt to break up that fight, or in the case that I can’t, to know that there is more to me than conflicting heritage."

Olivia Howcroft, second year Biomedical Sciences student: "I have aimed for a sense of serenity in my art, taking the theme of water in the title of the exhibition ‘Turning Tides’ and portraying this in ripples. The human form is the other theme expressed in this body of work, a subject matter that I enjoy mainly because it is full of expression."

Libby Pattison, first year Geography student: "I wanted to capture the idea of 'turning tides' as the changes people go through, such as the change from home to university, and the emotions it causes. With the portrait, I've tried changing it by adding on scenes of natures and landscapes that show power, and for me the sea helps to show the mix of emotion associated with change."

Andrea Lee: "The ocean has always fascinated me from a young age and I think it has many parallels with the human mind – it can be deep, scary, relaxing and calm (or perhaps I just love drawing curvy, flowing lines!). Blue happens to be one of my favourite colours too. I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a pen, and started working digitally at the age of 12. It’s got a very different feel from working with traditional materials but the basic fundamental concepts remain. It’s a medium that’s really exploded in recent years with the development of computers and even though it’s arguably very young compared to the more established art forms, I feel it deserves just as much recognition and respect."

"The sea is calm tonight - cataract film
- I want
to tear it open and climb
inside."

Victoria Tann, first year English Literature student: "Manchester born but bred abroad. A bit too enthusiastic about my course to be deemed entirely sane. I like to paint word-pictures from the dents in the pavement, the smell of hour-old rain and last winter’s leaves dissolving amongst the buds of spring. Flames are exciting and so is water because they blur everything. A black and white filter can make anything look professional. I’m also a dog person."

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