Photo: one of many signs translated into Latin by Professor Donald Hill from Newcastle University. © Michael Pinsky. Courtesy of Segedunum Museum.
The Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year is the UK's largest arts prize and, with the judges in the process of picking the winner, we want to know what you think.
Click here to see the full shortlist and vote for the museum or gallery you think should be on the receiving end of £100,000.
Read on to find out why Tyne and Wear Museums made it onto the shortlist.
Pontis, the Latin word for 'bridge' is a collaborative public art project in Wallsend. It has earned Tyne and Wear Museums a place on this year’s Gulbenkian shortlist.
North Tyneside Arts and Nexus, the body which runs Tyne and Wear Metro, commissioned artist Michael Pinsky to create a contemporary art project linking Wallsend Metro Station with nearby Segedunum, the Roman fort at the eastern end of Hadrian’s Wall.
Inspired by bilingual signs in Wales and Ireland, Pinsky decided to Romanise Wallsend by creating new signs in Latin - not such a random idea as Segedunum is what the Roman’s called Wallsend.
Photo: the job centre has been renamed Forum Venalicium, which literally means slave market. © Michael Pinsky. Courtesy of Segedunum Museum.
The fish and chip shop became Pisces et Holera, the job centre, Forum Venalicium - literally slave market! - and the metro station exit, Vomitorium.
"It’s such a great idea, such a witty project, and a lot of fun," says Geoff Woodward, curator of Segedunum Museum.
The centrepiece of the project, on permanent display at the metro station and at Segedunum Museum, is H Murus, a copy of the Tyne and Wear metro map but with the place names in Latin.
Photo: Greenways, a discount grocery store off Wallsend High Street West © Michael Pinsky. Courtesy of Segedunum Museum.
Pontis has turned Wallsend’s streets, shops and metro station into one big gallery space and has taught people who visit and live in the town about its Roman past.
This unorthodox approach means that Tyne and Wear Museums have engaged with a whole new audience by bringing exhibits to them. Nearly 600,000 metro users, as well as the nearly 12,000 visitors to Segedunum, have come into contact with Pinsky’s public art.
"Pontis has got out there into the public conciousness," says Geoff. "It is very much taking museums into the community, making them more accessible and fun."
Photo: Wallsend Metro Station where many 'exhibits' were installed. © Michael Pinsky. Courtesy of Segedunum Museum.
It is not the first time that Segedunum has been involved with award-winning projects. "We are a fantastic museum – we’ve won about 11 awards right across the board – for visitor attractions, for our archaeological work, and for education," says Geoff. "We offer something special. We were even shortlisted for the Sunday Times’ unofficial poll as one of top ten museums in the world."
"We’d be absolutely delighted to win the Gulbenkian Prize. We’ve got a great team here, they’ve worked very hard. The number of awards we have received demonstrates the creativity and dedication of the team. I think we’re going from strength to strength."
He adds, "It’s great that two Hadrian’s Wall projects are in the running. It is a real coup for the area, Hadrians Wall and Roman studies."
The 24 Hour Museum is conducting a poll to find out who our readers want to win this year's Gulbenkian Prize.
To vote for the Tyne and Wear Museums, Segedunum, Wallsend click here.
If you haven’t decided yet which museum you want to win there will be another chance to vote in March when we will feature the full shortlist.
To find out more about the Gulbenkian Prize, click on this link to visit the website.
