Exhibition is inspired by Wearside women who worked in the shipyards

Sunderland's army of female shipyard workers has inspired an exhibition currently on display on the banks of the Wear.

- by Katy Wheeler

Sunderland's female shipyard workers during the Second World War.

The Ribs Begin to Rise is the first institutional solo show by artist Ro Robertson, presenting a newly-commissioned series of sculptural works alongside large-scale drawings and a video installation.

Staged at Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art (NGCA), within the National Glass Centre, The Ribs Begin to Rise takes inspiration from its location.

It draws on Sunderland Docks, Hendon Paper Works, the ropeworks and the 700 female shipbuilders who lived and worked in wartime Sunderland at the shipyards which once lined the banks of the Wear.