We Shall Be
Eye-catching new murals have appeared on the A66 flyover in Middlesbrough town centre.
The artworks are part of WE SHALL BE, a new community driven-programme designed to transform the area around the railway station.
Close to the popular STACK and Bloom nightspots, one side of the flyover is now emblazoned with ‘Erimus’, the town’s original Latin motto, with the other side displaying the ‘We Shall Be’ English translation.
Led by Navigator North, WE SHALL BE aims to reflect the spirit, pride and resilience of the town.
Through a series of community engagement sessions, artists Nic Golightly and Sarah Falconer gathered creative ideas from local communities which helped inform the murals.
Nick Blaney, aka Goodnight Vienna, was commissioned to produce the large-scale murals themed on the motto of Erimus/We Shall Be which will be completed this month.
They will be installed alongside murals designed by Nic Golightly.
Separately, acclaimed Teesside artist Stuart Langley was commissioned to create a striking public sculpture for outside the new entrance to the railway station.
Titled ‘hold me and show me you love me’, it features a heart made up of publicly donated old mobile phones, held in a huge steel hand. As a co-commission with FORGED, it mirrors the emotional ambition of the screens in our hands through a marriage of old mobile phones and welded corten steel.
Stuart Langley said: "It’s an honour to be able to present such a meaningful and ambitious work in the heart of Middlesbrough.
"Thanks to the ongoing efforts of Navigator North, this collaborative work will further cement the town’s cutting-edge creative reputation and ignite much needed conversations about lives beyond the screen.”
Navigator North Director Vicky Holbrough said: “We are thrilled to see the impact of these artworks and what they represent, going into the Historic Quarter and hope that they serve as a cultural beacon for the town and its visitors. Without our amazing partners, artists, communities and funders none of this would have been possible.”
Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said: “It’s brilliant that the murals have taken inspiration from the town’s motto. They’re really striking and add character to an area of our town that is on the up.
“I’ve been really impressed with the entire WE SHALL BE programme and would like to thank everyone who’s been involved. I’d urge people to come and see the murals and new public art for themselves.”
WE SHALL BE builds on Navigator North’s work from 2020, including the Historic England-funded High Street Heritage Action Zone and Most Creative Station programme, funding by Arts Council England.
WE SHALL BE is a Navigator North programme delivered in collaboration with, Middlesbrough Council, TransPennine Express, Commerce Chambers and FORGED (Middlesbrough Art Week and Navigator North-funded programme through Tees Valley Combined Authority) with funding from Arts Council England.
Images of ‘Hold me and show me you love me’ by Rachel Deakin.