91Èȱ¬

I had the thrill of opening an exhibition at the in Sunderland this week (Thursday, 21 July 2011). The fact is I had a vested interest as one of our films is an exhibit.

Capt. Mark Page

His songs and those of many other old seamen from the days of sail languished in an old trunk and eventually ended up in the US Library of Congress.

When I heard about them I set about tracing Capt. Page's living descendants to have him sing to them from beyond the grave. The story went global and even sparked interest from other documentary makers.

That was that, I thought, but the National Glass Centre asked if the now legendary mariner could be a part of their new exhibition called .

It's a great mix of old and new. From contemporary art that evokes the sea, to artefacts from the true Sunderland maritime legend .

You'll even see the marrying of history and world leading research. Down the centuries British ships traversed the high seas and kept a note of the weather, details that are who is looking into signs of global warming using readings that predate official records.

What an eclectic mix of things to see, but a great idea to put it at the heart of what was once the world's biggest shipbuilding town.

It's free and runs until the end of October so do go along if you get the chance and don't forget to see our film if you missed it first time round..