Vault Studios: Shankill Mission Building

CLIENT - Vault Studios
The Vault Artist Studio Collective is in our blood. Adam founded the whole thing. Kristi and Jonny are founder members. Adam’s studio is our defect office and (cold) meeting space.

So, we were delighted to be part of a project that announced the Vault’s arrival at the old Shankill mission building on Shankill Road. The project was for street art along the gable wall. A first outward communication.

We worked with the Greater Shankill Partnership, the Vault, and the building owners.

Gemma did her thing with researching, and we created a brief for a collective of street artists.

Based at the Vault.

From the Brief:

Shankill Road mission

The Shankill has a rich history, going back to Belfast’s foundations. Much of the history has been overshadowed by the recent Troubles. For this piece of work, we want to lean into a couple of particular older stories that resonate with the arrival of the Vault.

The Co-op, Belfast, was first founded in 1888, and the Mission itself was founded in 1896. The Co-op story speaks of innovation and of community, of people coming together to work collaboratively. The Mission itself was innovative and forward-looking for its time, showing care and concern not only for saving souls but also for the community and its physical, medical, social and cultural needs. Also worth noting is that Shankill is a place historically of “firsts” and was the original parish of Belfast (455AD).

The themes of cooperation, collaboration & community resonate with the Vault’s arrival. The pieces need to reflect the story and spirit of the Shankill.