Over the summer, Newcastle-based artist Sebastian Trend has been working with a group of young people on an exciting new art project at the Customs House in South Shields. 

Budding young photographers and aspiring artists used experimental photography to create new work inspired by Landscape and Duration - an exhibition of Dan Holdsworth’s photographs showing the route of the Great North Run as it’s never been seen it before. 

Sebastian, based at NewBridge Studios in Newcastle, describes the project, "In a contemporary world of digital photography, we forget that almost anything can be turned into a camera. For this project we went right back to basics making simple handmade pin-hole cameras using match-stick boxes, 35mm film and a good helping of insulation tape.

"From these small beginnings the photographs have been transformed to produce a colourful, 35 meter long frieze of the South Shields landscape. I had a great time working with young people, taking our time to make our own cameras, exploring South Shields on photo-expeditions, to finally installing the finished artwork on a very windy South Shields day at the sea front!”

One participant said, "You can make a pin-hole camera with anything, just make sure you don’t let any light in. It’s made me think about what kind of photography I’d like to do.”

The exhibition is on display on Sea Road in South Shields until the end of September. During the Bupa Great North Run it will be seen by the thousands of people lining the streets to cheer on the runners. 

Runaway Billboard is part of our free education programme, In Motion.