Baltic states its intentions

AT one minute past midnight on the morning of Saturday, July 13, the enthusiasts, thrill seekers, "I was firsts", and the odd befuddled reveller from the Bigg Market will crowd into the North-East's newest arts attraction.

For three hours, the early dawn brigade can invade the Baltic, the new international centre for contemporary art, which aims to add flour power to Tyneside's bid for European cultural supremacy.

After that burst of morning glory, more normal opening hours will apply. But, even at that time of day, be prepared to queue. Admission levels are set at 1,700 and car parking is going to be an art form in itself. The Baltic only has 50 spaces of its own.

Everyone must surely know by now that it's cost £46m to turn the disused Baltic Flour Mill, beside the Tyne at Gateshead, into the most attractive arts space outside London. Man could not live by bread alone it seems. Now everyone wants to see the results of eight years of arty-farty exertions and yesterday's massed ranks of the media mostly asked one question: "What does this mean to the Newcastle/Gateshead Initiative to be voted European Capital of Culture in 2008?"

Answering the question is more difficult than 54-year-old Baltic director Sune Nordgren imagines. A fire alarm forces evacuation just before his welcoming speech. But, in keeping with six floors of stylish natural materials, a calm male voice advises everyone "We have an emergency". Definitely A+ for effort.

Alert over, Nordgren jokes about Gateshead Borough Council sabotaging the event so that everyone would view the nearby Millennium Bridge as well. Then he quotes from Blake: "The bird that soars with its own wings never soars too high."

"We feel that's a good model for the Baltic, we will fly high but not stupidly high," says the director, still bristling over quotes attributed to him that he cared more about the exhibits than achieving big audience levels.

He straightens the canvas with the statement: "The whole idea of the opening exhibitions is, instead of trying to do something obvious, we are attempting to show all the potential of this building. It is not only a place with five beautiful gallery spaces - we call them art spaces - it's also to show this is a building with lots and lots of potential in terms of creating art as well. We'll work with international, regional and national artists in a fantastic mixture. The aim is to create a meeting place between the artist and the public.

"We always see the Baltic as a container. This is a nice place to be, a beautiful place to be and, of course, the art and the artists will create the colour, the light and the vitality."

On the City of Culture question, Swedish-born Nordgren points to the opportunity of Tyneside attracting his fellow Scandinavians by the ferry-full.

Northern Arts chairman Paul Collard adds: "The Baltic is a key reason why we should be European Capital of Culture. Since 1998, with the arrival of the Angel, we have been doing this again and again. We will do it again in 2004 with the opening of the Music Centre (on a next door Gateshead site), again in 2005 with the Centre For The Children's Book. Every year up to 2008 we will be adding cultural facilities of this quality."

Talk over, it's time to test one of the three glass lifts which soar up to the sixth floor at a hair-parting 2.5 metres per second. There is the 70-seater glass-sided rooftop restaurant where tables are already being booked for up to three weeks ahead for the best quayside view in the city.

Restaurant boss Marcus Bennett, who lives at Eaglescliffe, aims to put art on a plate. He is one-third of the gourmet business developed by Tom and Eugene McCoy, of Tontine restaurant fame. The average meal - herring, crab, salmon etc - is going to be £27 a head (£21 if you eat with the lesser lights in the first floor restaurant) with house wine starting at £3 a glass and coffee in the £1.50 class. The area also boasts the "best ladies loo in the world" with a back wall of floor to ceiling plate glass overlooking the riverside and the most imposing place to powder your nose imaginable.

Floor five is a brief pausing platform to view floor four where, if you don't like looking over your shoulder at the real thing, there's a Meccano version of the Tyne Bridge plus associated gap spanning creations by US artist Chris Burden.

Floor three has two ranks of J Arthur Rank-style gongs suspended from the ceiling, complete with beaters, by Spain's Jaume Plensa. Could you resist becoming gong-ho?

Staff member Vykke Gill rolls her eyes and confesses: "The men are much worse than the children. Some of them hit all 18 so hard we have to tell them off."

Floor two contains the outlines of two entwined bodies on the floor by Londoner Julian Opie. Inquiring about police murder scenes is not recommended.

Floor One is magical for the football-mad because Scotland's Alec Finlay has created fellow countryman Archie Gemmell's 1978 World Cup goal against Holland in dance notes, sound and pictures. Next door is a debut film installation by Newcastle award-winning twins Jane and Louise Wilson. Called Dreamtime, it features the Russian space station launch rocket in 2000. What's the best comment the 35-year-old pair have had about their work. Louise breaks into a smile and says: "I think I feel sick."

The twins are already planning their next project for Baltic.

Ground Floor space is given to Belgian Carsten Holler where light and sound emanate around two pieces called Baltic Phi Wall (2002) and Neon Circle (2001).

Then you're heading for the exit or the ground floor caf. Inside the latter, the media-minded Germaine Greer is holding forth on being served a second cup of tepid cappuccino.

"If they gave that to you in Italy you'd be kicked to death," announces the Australian academic loudly.

Some people are never going to be satisfied it seems. But, for the next ten years, the Baltic is going to be free for all, as Tyneside riverbank turns from the art of building ships to the art of building dreams.

* For opening times at the Baltic telephone 0191-478 1810.