A bridge is, in itself, a connection. It connects two places. In this case, it connects Newcastle to Gateshead - two places that are separated by a river. A river is also a connection. It connects various streams and tributaries to the sea. It acts as a connection for boats, and in this way the river connects the various places that are situated on its banks. And a river acts as a connection for all kinds of wildlife who make it their home.
The High Level Bridge makes possible other connections. It carries a road, which forms part of a huge network of roads forming connections between places. And it holds a railway line, part of another huge network which connects places together. Two more important connections.
Pigeons. They make their home on the bridge. Carrier pigeons, messenger pigeons. Pigeons carrying messages between two places, connecting those places through their flight path, and through the messages they deliver. Tentative, perhaps. But still a connection.
The High Level Bridge makes possible other connections. It carries a road, which forms part of a huge network of roads forming connections between places. And it holds a railway line, part of another huge network which connects places together. Two more important connections.
Pigeons. They make their home on the bridge. Carrier pigeons, messenger pigeons. Pigeons carrying messages between two places, connecting those places through their flight path, and through the messages they deliver. Tentative, perhaps. But still a connection.
Padlocks, attached to the sides of the bridge. There's quite a few of them. Nearly all of them feature two sets of initials. They're a way of representing a connection between two people, of making it solid, and permanent. Locking it in place. And it connects these two people to a specific place - it locks them into that location. It makes that place significant for them.
And finally, the graffiti. It was this that got me thinking about connections in the first place. I suppose if graffiti tags are adopted by a group of people, then that tag forms a visual representation of the connection the members of the group have to each other. And it is a way to allow those groups to mark their connection to particular places, and to let others know of this connection (and the same goes for if the tag is adopted by an individual). This wasn't the type of connection I first thought of, though. Since I started this project, I've increasingly been noticing graffiti tags around the city. On my walk from home to uni, there's been a metal storage container sat on the side of the road, providing temporary facilities for workmen working on the roads nearby. About a week after it arrived, it was tagged with the word 'Otras' - a tag that appeared frequently on the High Level Bridge. The tag connected this container, and this street, back to the High Level Bridge. The tag itself connects it, and this connection is strengthened every time I see the tag and am reminded of the bridge. This is just one example - the one that sticks in my memory because I've seen it most often. I've noticed many other instances of tags that I recognise from my photographs of graffiti on the High Level Bridge appearing elsewhere. Connections popping up all over the city. There's more scope in this - it needs taking further. There are more connections to be made here.
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