Vault Studios: Creative caretakers bid farewell to campus life

A group of colourful caretakers have injected new life into a disused college building

An art collective is on the cusp of graduation as they prepare to vacate an old college building in east Belfast.

The 100 plus multi-disciplinary artists that make up Vault Studios have been working and performing at the Tower Street campus from 2018.

The site is now set for demolition with the group currently seeking a new home.

Vault trustee and playwright, Alice Malseed, said the building has a "palpable physical energy" and it would be "heart-breaking" to leave.

Formed in 2017 as a community driven, non-profit charity, Vault Studios had 23 creatives making use of an old Ulster Bank building. The move to the former school building on Tower Street meant they could accommodate more than 100 artists.

Alice Malseed said the collective are amazed by what they had achieved and had never intended to stay as long in the building.

"Every individual will have different feelings about it some people maybe haven't accepted it's the end. It's a grief cycle," she said.

"The college was purpose built for the performing arts and has all the things you need as an artist, it's been a really happy accident and amazing for all of our uses."

A group of more than 100 artists have called Tower Street their home since 2018

Breathing new life into long-term empty properties, Vault's intention is to transform neighbourhoods while providing affordable studio space for local creatives.

The collective said stalled spaces "exacerbate decline" and that vacant buildings shouldn't lay empty and unused "when the possibility of reactivation is within reach".

With an emphasis on skill-sharing, the artists work collaboratively with their projects attracting hundreds of visitors from across the local community.

Their swansong festival showcased a wide range of practices - circus skills, burlesque, street art, screen printing, dance, music and photography.

Siobhan McKinley is a visual artist and joined Vault when they moved into Tower Street. She is now on the Members Association Committee and explained the notion of non-monetary rent - part of the artists' agreement is to involve themselves with community activity.

She said that the collective has had a positive impact on her outside youth and community projects.

"I never would have had the opportunity to meet [other artists]. I've had encouragement to do workshops here and it gives me a lot more confidence going out into the community," she said.

Sound engineer, Ryan Macfarlane, agrees that the sense of community at Tower Street has confirmed his sense of artistry.

"Mixing with so many different people has been the amazing part of it… I would have never thought of myself as an artist before, when you meet a bunch of artists who live that lifestyle it helps you feel more sure of yourself," he said.

"Hopefully the next [space] is better, but I don't know how it can be. I'll keep a smile on my face until the day we have to go, then I'll accept it and I'll get emotional."

Finn Carragher (top) describes Vault as being "an absolute lifeline" for the artists involved.

Finn Carragher is a circus performer specialising in acrobatics and juggling. Whilst he doesn't have his own studio, he is considered a Vault associate member and makes use of other artists space.

He describes the premises as an "absolute lifeline for a lot of these people, myself included", adding that he believes there is "nowhere else like this in Ireland".

"There's a tinge of sadness in the air, it's going to be quite tough on the people who make their livelihood here and who have put a lot of money into this building. It'll be a real shame to lose it but that was always the deal. The hunt is on for a new place."

'Purpose built for the arts'

Former Belfast Met student, Michael McEvoy (left) says it's harder to say goodbye to the building for a second time

Michael McEvoy, Emily McDonagh and Rosie Mullin of the Poke Theatre Group said they were delighted to have these specialist facilities.

"People need to remember that this isn't just artists taking over an abandoned building, because we can potentially do that again.

"This building was purpose built for the arts - to have a theatre, dance studios, actor studios, offices - it's not just about an empty building," Michael said.

"Making work is so easy. We have a dance studio at our beck and call. It was uncommonly good luck. We have a wood-sprung floor and a wall full of mirrors - you don't walk into other abandoned buildings and find that," Emily explained.

Michael and Rosie are both former students of Belfast Metropolitan College, having been the last group of learners to study at Tower Street.

"We've already had to say goodbye to this building once, we couldn't believe that it became something else and now it's harder to say goodbye the second time," he said.

Emily said she sobbed for an hour and half when heard the building was due to be demolished - "it broke my soul a little".

The former college was specially built to accommodate performing artists

'The orchestra will still be playing'

The college is now due to be demolished, making way for an estimated £5m investment in affordable housing. The site is owned by Choice Housing who plan on delivering a project "that meets the needs of the local community".

A spokesperson for Choice said: "It has been great to be able to accommodate Vault Artist Studios as a meanwhile use which has also enriched the local community. We are excited to be moving on to the next phase of the journey towards delivering much needed homes in this part of Belfast."

Vault's Alice Malseed added: "We'll keep saying it's our last event until the very end, the orchestra will still be playing like when the Titanic sank. It's definitely not the end for Vault."