Five Minutes With: Quayside Mural Artists Halfstudio
Meet the artists behind the brand-new mural painted on Newcastle’s Quayside this summer
Every summer since 2022, the team here at NE1 commissions artists to transform the former bus lane at Wesley Square on Newcastle’s Quayside into a riot of colour with a vibrant mural as part of our Summer in the City programme.
This year, it’s the turn of Portuguese artists Mariana Branco and Emanuel Barreira – aka Halfstudio – who’ve transformed 90 metres of pavement along the banks of the River Tyne into a vibrant and eye-catching mural.
We had a chat with Halfstudio to find out more about the mural and what inspired their design.
Can you tell us a bit about your Quayside mural?
Emanuel: We were commissioned to do this mural with the sentence “Go With the Flow” and since our work is letter and typography-based, we played with that sentence here.
What was the concept behind the mural?
Emanuel: The artwork is deeply inspired by its location – the Quayside near the River Tyne – and the architecture of the city, like its geometric forms and its buildings. That was the main inspiration and we also wanted to integrate the spirit of the sentence “Go With the Flow” itself, so it’s very colourful and dynamic.
What are your biggest artistic influences and inspirations?
Mariana: We really like pop art and take a lot of inspiration from signwriting too. One of our biggest inspirations though is Edward Ruscha because he plays with words and sentences like nobody else and we love his work!
How would you describe your artwork in three words?
Emanuel: Bold, dynamic and colourful!
How have you found the process of creating this mural?
Emanuel: I think the process of creating the mural here on the Quayside has been great! The people are loving it and there has been a lot of interaction with people that are passing by, which for us is really important because it’s a super vivid area and it’s great to get this feedback when you are painting in the street.
Mariana: And the weather has been amazing!
Why do you think murals like yours are important for cities?
Emanuel: I think that one of the most important things is that they give people free access to art – for people who might not go to galleries and museums. With it being on the street, they can see art for free.
Also, some artworks can raise certain questions and make you think of things you wouldn’t normally think of on a daily basis. I think those are the key factors why murals are important in cities.
Halfstudio’s mural will be in place at Wesley Square on Newcastle’s Quayside for the duration of summer. For more information about Halfstudio, visit www.halfstudio.net.
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