Technology Bauhaus

The North East needs a Technology Bauhaus. 

At times the region dwells in the past. We talk about ship building and mining as if these things happened yesterday yet, if you are in your forties you have never seen these industries. Such industries are over and are never coming back in the volumes that used to be. By all means learn from the past but don’t live in it. Living is for now and more time should be set aside to develop the future that we want.

It is extremely unlikely that we will ever see such huge and monolithic industries again. Today, the region relies mainly on small and medium businesses. This should not be seen as a weakness but rather as a strength but only if we come together and work in collaboration. It is also unlikely that the region will become a leader in a specific sector though we have the talent to support many global industries where others can claim to take leadership.

In truth, no region can claim to be unique. Unless there are deposits of rare earth minerals, nearly everything that takes place anywhere is taking place somewhere else, in different ratios and different niches. It is the combination of industries and expertise that makes a region stand out.

There is, however, something that the region could do to make itself a leader, building on something that is already a strength – collaboration. The region needs a Technology Bauhaus. 

From Wikipedia: The Staatliches Bauhaus, commonly known as the Bauhaus, was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts. The school became famous for its approach to design, which attempted to unify individual artistic vision with the principles of mass production and emphasis on function. The Bauhaus had a major impact on art and architecture trends in Western Europe, Canada, the United States and Israel

It brought art and design to industry and the North East could do something similar by bringing the public, private, academic and creative sectors together, centred around an innovative and open technology centre, one or more physical buildings where creativity and practicality come together to build innovative and aesthetic products and solutions. 

This would be unique, a global first and set the region up as a leader in what it is already good at. 

The North East needs a Technology Bauhaus.