Queen’s Hall Arts Centre is proud to be part of Our Freedom: Then and Now – a UK-wide, locally led arts programme from Future Arts Centres, marking 80 years since VE and VJ Day.
Inspired by Freedom Road, a specially commissioned poem by UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, the project invites communities to reflect on the meaning of freedom — past, present, and future — in a time of political and social change.
As part of the programme, Queen’s Hall will host a special launch event on Saturday 22 November to unveil Freedom, Reframed — a new immersive augmented reality (AR) exhibition created in collaboration with local communities connected to RAF Spadeadam. The exhibition offers an engaging and powerful look at how freedom is understood and experienced in this unique part of the UK.
As one of 60 participating organisations across the UK, Queen’s Hall has commissioned Creative Producer and Multimedia Participatory Artist Emma Tominey to lead the local project. Working with communities linked to RAF Spadeadam — a distinctive military site on the Northumberland-Cumbria border — Emma is exploring themes of freedom, identity and belonging, using Simon Armitage’s poem as a creative springboard.
RAF Spadeadam, with its rich military heritage and remote rural setting, provides a powerful backdrop for this work — shaping conversations around what it means to live and serve in such a place.
Workshops have already taken place at events including Spadeadam’s Family Day and with young cadets on summer placements, with more to come over the coming weeks. Insights and materials from these sessions will feed a new immersive augmented reality (AR) exhibition, shaped by Emma and the stories of those connected to the base.
"Working with RAF Spadeadam has been incredibly special. I’ve felt so supported and trusted to engage with their community," says Emma "The reflections shared in the workshops so far have been thoughtful, deeply personal, and overwhelmingly positive. It’s a real honour to help shape these stories into something lasting and creative."
Wing Commander Matt Lawrence, Station Commander at RAF Spadeadam said “We feel incredibly privileged to have been chosen to participate in the project, Our Freedom: Then and Now. It has been a joy to host Emma, and witness her working with our personnel, families, and visiting cadets. I am immensely excited to see the finished exhibition”
The Future Arts Centres team explained the inspiration behind the national project: "In a time when headlines seem to focus on division... the idea of freedom can feel both urgent and contested. What does it mean to be free, together? Through Our Freedom, we are working with arts centres, libraries and local people across the UK to ask those questions – to open spaces where stories can be heard and reflections shared. The arts offer connection, hope and possibility. Culture has a vital role. It can help us imagine different futures. Our Freedom is not about asserting one view... it’s about inviting many. Even in difficult times, the arts can help us imagine beyond what we assume is possible."
Katy Taylor, Artistic Director and Chief Executive at Queen’s Hall, explained: "It’s fantastic to be part of Our Freedom – joining up with partners nationally while also working at a hyper-local level with the communities connected to Spadeadam. We’re really excited to see what Emma produces as a result of her workshops – this kind of collaboration is at the heart of what Queen’s Hall does, and it's a great to be able to contribute to such an important national conversation.”
The resulting Freedom, Reframed AR Exhibition will be launched this November at a special celebratory event at Queen’s Hall on Saturday 22 November, offering audiences an engaging and powerful look at how freedom is understood and experienced in this unique part of the UK.
