Amber in North Shields

A photographic display at Common Ground, Beacon Centre, North Shields

Since the 1970s, Amber Film & Photography Collective documented life in North Shields, from the fishing industry and shipyards to the town's streets, workplaces and social life.

Amber's relationship with North Shields began with Maybe (1969), a short film about the Shields Ferry and its engine man. Over the following decades, the Collective developed close relationships with the town and its people, spending seven years in residence and producing films and photographs that captured both everyday life and the changes affecting local communities. Alongside collecting historical works and other images of life offshore and onshore in the town.

Presented in collaboration with Common Ground and I Love North Shields, this publicly accessible display brings together a selection of photographs from the AmberSide Collection. The images capture moments of work, leisure and community, exploring the town's history through the people who lived and worked there.

About Common Ground

Common Ground is a new indoor market and creative space in the former Wilko store at the Beacon Centre, North Shields. Developed by the Beacon Centre in conjunction with I Love North Shields, it brings together independent businesses, artists, makers and specialist retailers, creating new opportunities for local enterprise and creativity.