Get Ready for Blast Off at the Durham Miners’ Gala – 12th July 2025

Image: Spaceship by Mick Stephenson designed for Enchanted Forest, Saltwell Park, Gateshead in 2014.

 

Space and mining both have deep connections with County Durham, and to mark this Into the Light, County Durham’s creative place partnership programme is bringing a newly commissioned interactive sculpture called EarthShip to the Miners’ Gala on Saturday 12th July 2025.

County Durham based sculptor Mick Stephenson has been commissioned as part of the Light Years strand of Into the Light to create a spaceship that will touch down on the Racecourse in Durham as part of the Miners’ Gala celebrations. His installation EarthShip will be on show from 10am to 4pm.

Mick is renowned for creating large scale installations fusing light, material and structure that welcome audiences into extraordinary worlds of colour. EarthShip is the third space rocket he has created, with his previous rockets touching down in Saltwell Park and Paisley.

Mick Stephenson says, “I was born a few months before the launch of Sputnik, the world’s first portable satellite, and grew up during the era of regular moon landings. I was totally captivated watching Neil Armstrong be the first person to walk on the moon in 1969. My installations draw on my experience of working as a roadie, designing light sets for bands. EarthShip will have an interactive element and is designed to inspire young and old to be curious about space.”

EarthShip is an opportunity to combine the region’s proud industrial heritage, with its growing space sector, which has partnerships with the National (USA) Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and SpaceX. County Durham is home to some of the most agile space technology companies, and in the same way the Durham Coalfield was a powerhouse of the industrial revolution, international space technology is being driven by research taking place in County Durham. An estimated 10,000 new jobs in space and satellite technology will come to the region in next seven years.

With Mick’s artwork, Light Years can invite visitors to the Durham Miners’ Gala to imagine the future of mining in space, underpinned by real plans to mine asteroids and areas of the moon, with expert advice provided by researchers from Durham University’s new SPARC: Space Research Centre.

The Light Years strand within Into the Light is led by Durham University which has commissioned the creation of EarthShip. Ged Matthews is the University’s Senior Cultural Engagement Manager, and is also Chair of Space North East England’s Skills & Outreach Group.

Ged says, “Earthship is a fantastic way to celebrate the new ‘North East space Age’ and link it to our industrial heritage. At Light Years we are using culture and creativity to ensure County Durham communities are at the heart of these exciting developments, not only taking advantage of opportunities but helping shape it.”

Mick Stephenson received his first ever commission as part of Lumiere, the biennial light festival that takes place in Durham City and around the County. He was part of Lumiere’s BRILLIANT programme in 2011 where the public is invited to submit their ideas with most intriguing being commissioned. Mick’s career as an artist has since flourished, following years of work in the building trade and the music industry.

Julia Handelman-Smith says, “Mick’s career represents everything that Into the Light stands for. He made the transition into the creative industries over a decade ago. Into the Light is now helping others have the confidence to develop a career in the arts and creative industries as it aims to cultivate talent, widen access to creative education, enhance the skills of the cultural workforce, and break down barriers to working in the creative industries.”

Into the Light will have an information point at the Miners’ Gala alongside Mick Stephenson’s EarthShip installation. All are welcome to stop by on the Racecourse and find out more.

After the Miners’ Gala, EarthShip will take off for a journey around County Durham, touching down at Seaham during the annual Food Festival on the 2nd and 3rd of August, and again in a surprise location later in the year!

For more information about Into the Light see culturedurham.org.uk/into-the-light/