Hinterland Creative joins burgeoning artistic community in former factory

A group of creative sector pioneers have swapped their studio in a Grade 1 listed merchant’s house in Hull’s Old Town for the art deco industrial vibe of a former factory as a step towards developing the city’s artistic community.

Hinterland Creative have doubled their workspace with the move to 25 Francis Street, which is already home to microbusinesses working in screen printing, dress making and a range of experimental multidisciplinary arts.

Stewart Baxter, who founded Hinterland Creative in 2018, said the new surroundings will bring more opportunities as he builds the business from a solo operation into a collaboration geared to drive creative inspiration.

He said: “It’s exciting because you see spaces like this in New York and Berlin and now we have this one in Hull. It’s very much the beginning of the process and it could become a hot spot where more people take over buildings and it becomes an arts zone.”

Stewart is a musician, producer, artist and project manager from Hull who is widely known for his music development work in the city and playing drums for the band LIFE.  

He established Hinterland Creative in 2018 as a vehicle for working with other people on a variety of projects and along the way he took up residence at Maister House, a National Trust property in High Street and home of Eclectic Music.

Danny Thompson, creative director, producer and founder of Eclectic Music, offered support and space that was integral to Stewart developing a creative office and studio and providing opportunities for others.

Stewart said: “I’ve brought in a project manager and sub-contractors such as a web developer, photographer, film maker, a graphic designer who has rebranded the company.

“I was also able to offer three paid internships to people who are ready to enter the creative industry around music. They were good enough and they had the skills, talent and attitude but they didn’t know how to get into that world.

“I have mentored them since October and in that time they have progressed from having skills but not much CV to managing live client projects internationally. It’s a massive result. These opportunities were not around when I was younger.

“I haven’t stopped offering opportunities to other young people in the city because I think everybody should be doing that. It’s very important that I constantly open the door and don’t become another gatekeeper.”

Leaving Maister House was a wrench and the Hinterland Creative team only had 48 hours from collecting the keys for 25 Francis Street to preparing their new studio for a soft launch, where word of mouth attracted other creatives and artists, as well as neighbours in the building.

Guests arrived to find a hastily assembled, experimental and experiential exhibition of sound and projections and a gallery of current and recent work – the standout feature a wall of 90 window panels, flooding the creative space with natural light. 

Stewart said: “We want to show the intention of what we are going to do in here – create an environment which will support each other to grow. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own but having this creative collective around me has been very calming and supportive.

“It’s the opposite of where we were before, from a Georgian mansion to a mid-20th century factory. On one side of the building it’s a short walk to the pubs, restaurants and theatres, and on the other there are recording studios and Bankside Gallery.

“I am inspired by industry and I really like metal, steel and rust, and looking outside across the corrugated roofs with bits of barbed wire. It will never be finished. It’s something we have started to do and we will see what happens.”