A Walk Down The Riverside

I decided to look back at the ‘St Peter’s Riverside Sculpture’ project which was a long term artist residency scheme set up in December 1991 and was headed by artist Colin Wilbourn. Using Helix Arts physical archive as well as their digital archive I have been able to find further information to share with you about the ‘St Peters Riverside Sculpture’ project. The project continued for 12 years and included 13 major sculptures as well as other pieces of artwork. The team that worked on this project consisted of Karl Fisher (assistant sculpture), Craig Knowles (artist blacksmith) and Chaz Brenchley (crime writer). This sculpture project was part of the Tyne and Wear development corporation’s multi-million pound regeneration scheme for St Peters Riverside. They aimed to demonstrate that community involvement in public artwork enables it to be rooted in local culture which in turn reaffirms a sense of identity and place.

The sculptures and artwork draw on the social and industrial history, memories of residents as well as surrounding land, sea and riverside. The artists wanted to foster cooperation with the local community, develop new integrated initiatives and encourage people to take an active interest in their environment through participation in the development process. Their first completed piece of work was the gates which were called Always Open Gates at North Shields Sands Business Centre. Wilbourn and Fisher had not worked with steel before and they knew that the future of their residency would be judged on this first piece of work. Luckily the piece was a success and attracted positive coverage and allowed them to carry on with their residency project.

This project is reflecting on the past, present and future. By looking at the past artwork that can be found down the riverside in Roker and the current environment as well as the changing architecture, I aim to create a narrative that speaks to the continuity and change in our surroundings. With this project I am merging my love for art, nature and landscapes while I explore the themes of time and transformation. The riverside is a mix of artistic expression and natural scenery, while walking along the riverside towards the beach you can enjoy the sculptural artworks that have been created, the serene landscapes and the thriving nature. I wanted this project to highlight the benefits of taking time to appreciate the outdoors, these benefits include boosting mental wellbeing as well as fostering a deeper connection with art, nature and the world around you. For me the riverside and coastal area have always been a source of calm that offers a peaceful retreat where creativity and inspiration flourishes. I hope as you walk the same path you also experience a similar feeling.

Starting with the Red House (1993-94) which took almost a year to complete, it is made of red sandstone from the old Queen Alexandra Bridge. You can see a ruined life-size house which refers to an earlier period when this part of the riverside was a flourishing community living in densely packed housing. This sculpture makes you wonder whose house it was and why they had abandoned it. You can find more parts of the house scattered around the path, including the chimney.

Image by Anna Jeffery

Next, you come across the sculpture Watching and Waiting (1994-95) which excludes a sense of abandonment similar to the Red House. It is based at what is known locally as the Lookout Point where people would watch between the piers for incoming boats. The picnic-themed sculpture includes an open steel book and a steel telescope made by artist blacksmith Craig Knowles and Chaz Brenchley included a piece of text written in braille, ‘Sometimes we see further with our eyes closed’. While observing this piece of artwork you think about the people who would be standing there looking out waiting to see the incoming boats.

By Anna Jeffery

There is a series of carvings set into a brick wall which runs the length of the promenade called Windows and Walls (1995). Colin and Karl ran workshops with primary schools and with guidance, each group carved 4 windows into unfired brick to illustrate a story they had created based around St Peters Riverside. One of the stories that caught my attention was about two children from the past arriving in the present and seeing the destruction of the river due to pollution and deciding that they had to do something about it.

By Anna Jeffery

Helix Arts was first known as Artists Agency when it was founded in 1983 by Lucy Fairley and only became known as Helix Arts in 2000. The organisation quickly became one of the country’s early pioneers of social, environmental and cultural practices. Helix Arts believe that art, cultural practices and everyday creativity can help people throughout their lives and help them understand the world. Helix Arts are committed to supporting people who have been historically underrepresented in mainstream arts. As stated on their website – “We are committed to overcoming obstacles to arts access and participation, to increasing equality of opportunity with diverse communities and to breaking down barriers between artists and communities”. Their dedication to underrepresented groups, creativity and environmental issues resonated with my own approach to photography, making our collaboration a good fit.

The last sculpture I’m going to mention is called ‘Taking Flight’ (1997) which is a sequence of sculptures each varying from the last, and to begin with their appearance is like a relic from the river’s industrial past, each of the following beams have more cuts and bends with the final one taking the form of a huge sea bird taking flight. Knowles regarded this as a metaphor to show the emergence of St Peters from an area of industrialisation to one that was closer to nature. 

By Anna Jeffery

There are many more amazing sculptures that are included in the ‘St Peters Riverside Sculpture’ project that I encourage you to find and observe for yourself. Some of the sculptures are hard to find (I completed the walk multiple times and couldn’t say I had found them all until my last walk down the riverside) which makes the walk just that much more engaging as you have to be actively observing your surroundings to make sure you don’t accidentally end up walking right past.

This collaboration with Helix Arts was to create a brief response to one of their past projects from the last 40 years to reconnect the past with the present and future. I chose to revisit the ‘St Peters Riverside Sculpture’ project as I wanted to focus on a past project that had a physical outcome that still existed so I could experience it in person. I have previously noticed some of the sculptures that belong to this project while walking by the riverside and beach but had never given them enough attention to realise that the pieces were connected to the same project and artists. I wanted to make this blog to share the work and encourage people to take more interest in their surroundings whether that is surprise pieces of artwork, the natural environment that surrounds us or the impressive architecture. All around you, you can see pieces of the past mixed in with the present, and I can’t wait to see what the future will bring.

My name is Anna Jeffery and I am an artist based in the UK, mainly in Newcastle and Sunderland. I graduated university completing a degree in Photography, Video and Digital Imaging at the University of Sunderland. I am a nature and landscape photographer whose practice focuses on nature, landscape, environmental issues and mental health. Central to my artistic narrative is the exploration of mental health; a theme deeply intertwined with both my personal journey and creative process. I believe in the healing power of nature, not only as a subject but as a sanctuary for reflection and restoration. My most recent project I have produced was called ‘intimacy’ and was exhibited at the Priestman Building in Sunderland.

The project was about capturing the delicate intricacies of plants, each image is a testament to the warmth and interconnectedness inherent in the natural world. Within nature I discover not only a space for reflection but a medium for meditation, shaping the contemplative essence of my photographs. 

This project, ‘A Walk Down the Riverside’ focused on documenting what I saw and experienced while learning about the St Peters Riverside Sculpture project and working alongside Helix Arts. The work aimed to encourage people to go and enjoy the sculptures that were created by amazing artists and the community more than 20 years ago now. This project has been a significant step in my artistic practice, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with Helix Arts which was something I haven’t done before but I believe it has taught me a lot about collaborating with organisations and I have gained invaluable insights into project management. This has been an amazing opportunity that I am so grateful to have been given.

By Anna Jeffery

Follow my Instagram