Vessel – Ronan Devlin Studio

Artwork | Print | Environmental

Vessel
Fish Quay, North Shields
Hoarding artwork
2025

Vessel is a creative exploration of the former Tyne Brand site at North Shields’ Fish Quay.

Drawing inspiration from the site’s rich maritime legacy, from canning lines to signaling flags, the project reimagines the stories, industries, and landscapes that have shaped the region.

Through vibrant colour, abstract shape, and text, Vessel unearths fragments of history, weaving them into a contemporary narrative that resonates with both time and tide.

The artwork is informed by four key themes—shipping, canning, printing, and pottery —bringing together the location’s industrial past and artistic spirit. Maritime colours, seaweed patterns, symbols, typography, and shipping codes shape the design.

A poetic statement, created with pupils from Spring Gardens Primary School, North Shields, places community and imagination at its core. The site-specific work honours the past while looking outward, celebrating North Shields as a place of creativity, imagination, and connection.

The collaborative design process included multiple site visits, consultations with local stakeholders, and exploration of regional archives, ensuring the work remained grounded in the specific history, industry, and character of the area.

CREDITS:
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Art by In-Place
Design by Ronan Devlin Studio
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The hoardings are an artist-led initiative funded by North Shields Cultural Quarter
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In-Place is a collective of four artists based in North Shields, whose public work seeks to challenge, question, or enhance our relationship with place.