Alistair, grey hair and big smile, Robinson has been the director of the Northern Gallery of Contemporary Arts for 15 years. In his words, this gallery “has been in Sunderland in a slight Doctor Who fashion”.
Now situated in the National Glass Centre this gallery is trying to tell stories using the work of living artist, in focus photographers and digital media artists.
When asked to tell an interesting story he started describing a summer job when he was still a student and randomly met Robbie Williams in a metallic track suit:
“This is kind of random and not connect with art at all. When I was a student, 20 years old, I was working on an obscure department of the civil service in East Anglia and my boss had just graduated. She was two years older than me and she was working full time but for some reason kept taking long breaks.
So, this strange woman kept disappearing 2 weeks at time.
One day, the doorbell rang and I went to answer the door because I was the junior assistant, and this rough, very hungover, voice came on the intercom saying: “Is Rob for Gale”. I went to open the door and it was this guy in a metallic track suit who looked like a trap, his hair was kind of dyed all over the place and he was sweaty and pale, he looks very ill.
He looked very familiar thought and he was my age. And I remember thinking “What a weird looking guy”. The woman who was my boss came out of her office and got white as a wall. He pushed me away and shuffled this guy.
And I just thought “What is going on here?”.
And it was Robbie Williams who was one of her friends.”