Newport Leisure Centre demolition displayed in exhibition

Dean Lewis looks forward to welcoming the public to his exhibition “Walls Come Tumbling Down” at the Newport Museum and Art Gallery from Friday, September 27. 

Dean Lewis' drawings are about to be exhibited in Newport (Image: Dean Lewis) The exhibition will feature drawings of the Newport Centre demolition after its permanent closure in 2023.

The centre, opened in 1985 and a staple of the Newport community, provided leisure facilities for families, spaces for international business conferences, and housed many an A-list celebrity concert, with names such as Run DMC, Elton John, David Bowie and Marilyn Manson. 

The drawings depict the demolition of the Newport Centre in 2023 (Image: Dean Lewis) Despite the sadness around its closure, Lewis has described how he has “always been drawn to abandoned buildings and post-industrial landscapes” making the demolition “an obvious subject for me to draw”.

However, his intentions to illustrate “just a couple of drawings” were derailed after the involvement of the demolition workers.

Lewis recounted how after his continued appearances at the site, taking photos and making sketches, the men became interested in his work.

He said: "I was no longer just looking in, as I had regular offsite visits to see the progress of my drawings."

Mr Lewis was given schedules for the work so he could capture important stages as they happened (Image: Dean Lewis) The workers shared schedules with him, to enable him to capture the important moments in the demolition, including the removal of the roof. 

The workers changed Lewis’ outlook on the project, as he described how “the project was no longer just about the building but also the men whose task it was to dismantle it.”

The process of creating the illustrations varied from 6-10 hours for A4 pieces whereas the A2 drawings “took up to a week”. 

The drawings capture the workers progress on the demolition (Image: Dean Lewis) Although he couldn’t pick a favourite piece from the penultimate 39 illustrations for the exhibition, describing it as saying “like choosing your favourite child” Mr Lewis hopes that those who visit the exhibition will find their “memories of the centre rekindled”.

Mr Lewis joked that it is “probably best not to remember standing in line for a Covid jab”.

Overall however, he has urged people to find the beauty in the mundane describing how “rubble and rust can be beautiful!” and to remember the “warmth, humour and camaraderie.”

You can get tickets for the exhibition on the Newport Museum & Art Gallery website or on Eventbrite.