Newcastle Castle

Newcastle Castle has stood at the heart of the city for centuries and remains one of the North East’s most significant historic landmarks. The Castle Keep, built between 1172 and 1177, forms part of a site deeply connected to the development and identity of Newcastle. Today, its history continues to be explored through exhibitions, events, education and public engagement, allowing new generations to experience the building in different ways. For artists, it offers an extraordinary source of inspiration, bringing together architecture, material, craftsmanship and centuries of human activity within a place that continues to play an active role in the cultural life of the region.

For Fellowship (2019), Jonpaul Kirvan created an original illustration of Newcastle Castle and laser engraved the image into bird’s eye maple veneer. The work drew a connection between contemporary making and the traditional skills used to construct the Castle, where medieval masons worked stone by hand using mallets, chisels and straight edges, leaving physical traces of their craftsmanship within the building. Kirvan approached the laser in a similar way to a drawing tool, controlling its movement, intensity and speed to shape the surface of the wood and create his own interpretation of the Castle. The piece was created for Vane’s presentation at The Manchester Contemporary 2019 and was subsequently acquired for a private collection in London, taking an artwork inspired by one of the North East’s most important heritage sites into a wider contemporary art setting.