Blank Canvas was a collaborative opportunity to reimagine the future of town centres. As retail moves increasingly online and the need for physical shops decreases, how can our town centres evolve to become exciting, creative spaces where communities can grow and thrive? Blank Canvas focusses on the transition between the old and new shape of the town, where the river, the one thing that remains the same throughout the generations, provides a constant backdrop for change. The public were invited to contribute to the piece, by sharing their fond memories of the old and their hopes for the future of our communities.

Blank Canvas was an ambitious site specific work situated in a mostly empty shopping centre in Stockton-on-Tees. The artwork was displayed as part of Stockton International Riverside Festival and remained in situ until the centre’s demolition.