Organizer Information
This open call is commissioned through the Creative Central NCL programme, a five-year place-based cultural regeneration initiative led by Newcastle City Council and funded in partnership with the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and Homes England. The programme focuses on embedding contemporary art into public infrastructure projects across central Newcastle, supporting both urban renewal and the development of the regional creative economy.
The commissioning body for this opportunity is Creative Central NCL, which delivers public realm interventions, artist commissions, and cultural programming as part of wider city-centre regeneration strategies. This specific call forms part of the Central Gateway Connectivity project, aimed at improving pedestrian routes around Newcastle Central Station while enhancing the visual identity of key urban infrastructure.
Title & Description
Orchard Street Tunnel Mural Commission – Pixelated Cityscapes Public Mural Opportunity
This open call invites professional visual artists to develop and deliver a large-scale permanent mural commission within Orchard Street Tunnel, located in central Newcastle upon Tyne. The opportunity forms part of a major infrastructure enhancement programme that combines public realm improvement with site-specific artistic intervention.
The selected artist will design and execute two large-scale Painting installations—one on each wall of the tunnel—spanning approximately 105 metres in length and 2.3 metres in height. The work must respond to the curatorial theme of Pixelated Cityscapes, which draws inspiration from the tunnel’s physical structure of repeated glazed bricks, grids, and modular surfaces.
Artists are encouraged to interpret the theme through abstraction, pattern, fragmentation, mapping, architectural rhythm, and digital-inspired visual systems. The brief explicitly invites responses that treat the architectural surface not as a neutral background but as an active compositional grid that shapes the artwork itself.
The tunnel environment introduces a unique set of spatial and experiential conditions:
- High pedestrian and taxi traffic flow
- Partial obstruction on one side due to stationary taxis
- Listed building constraints requiring sensitive integration
- High visibility in a transit corridor connecting Stephenson Quarter and the city centre
The project positions the mural as both a visual intervention and an experiential passage through a fragmented, evolving interpretation of the city.
Categories
- Mural
- Public Art
- Painting
- Site-specific
- Installation
- Urban Art
- Architecture
- Environmental Art
- New Media (conceptual/pixelated aesthetics)
Eligibility
- Open to professional artists and collectives
- Strong preference for artists based in or working within the North East of England
- International applicants are accepted if able to work on-site in the United Kingdom
- Applicants must demonstrate experience in large-scale public-facing works
- Applicants must hold valid working-at-height certification (PASMA and/or IPAF)
- Applicants must be available for installation between October and December 2026
- Ability to work within conservation and listed building constraints required
Program Benefits & Awards
- £34,000 total commission fee (covering design, materials, production, and installation)
- £1,000 development fee for each of two shortlisted artists
- Opportunity to deliver a high-visibility permanent public artwork in central Newcastle
- Integration into a major urban regeneration infrastructure programme
- Technical, logistical, and permitting support (including Listed Building Consent facilitation)
- Public promotion via Creative Central NCL communication channels
- Long-term visibility within a heavily trafficked urban transit corridor
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit a concise proposal (approx. 1 A4 page or 2-minute audio/video submission), including:
- Artist biography
- Portfolio / previous work links
- Concept proposal responding to Pixelated Cityscapes
- Preliminary visual sketch or reference imagery (optional but encouraged)
Shortlisted applicants will additionally provide:
- Detailed visual proposal
- Itemised budget breakdown
- Technical production strategy
- Risk assessment and feasibility documentation
How to Apply?
Applications must be submitted via email to: info@creativecentralncl.co.uk
Subject line: Orchard Street Tunnel
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 10 June 2026
- Shortlisting Period: 10 June – 19 July 2026
- Notification of Shortlist: Week commencing 22 June 2026
- Interviews: 27 July – 7 August 2026
- Final Selection: End of August 2026
- Installation Period: October – December 2026 (approx. 4 weeks)
Location
Orchard Street Tunnel, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Additional Details
The tunnel’s glazed brick surface introduces material and environmental constraints that directly inform the artistic approach. Artists must account for:
- Moisture and water ingress through mortar joints
- Requirement for breathable exterior masonry paints
- Long-term weathering and surface variation
- Non-uniform paint absorption across brick surfaces
- High visibility from both pedestrian pathways and taxi queue areas
The eastern wall is part of a listed structure, requiring sensitive design integration and coordination for Listed Building Consent.
The thematic framework, Pixelated Cityscapes, is rooted in the physical logic of repetition, modularity, and grid-based urban surfaces. Artists are encouraged to translate these conditions into visual systems that reflect fragmented perception, movement through space, and the layered experience of contemporary city environments.