Cloud Star Boat Map
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| Artist Name(s) | Grace Weir |
| Artwork title | Cloud Star Boat Map |
| Context/Background | In a development plan set out by Dublin Corporation in the early 1990s, a number of buildings in West Essex Street, dating from the 1780s to early 1900s, were renovated to accommodate a tourism and cultural flag ship project in the centre of Temple Bar. One of these buildings was St. Michael and John's Roman Catholic Church, one of the city's oldest Catholic churches, pre-dating the repeal of the Penal Laws and Catholic Emancipation. The project was developed to reflect the history of Viking Dublin, to display artefacts and to ‘bring history alive using interactive material to tell the story of the Vikings and the Wood Quay archaeology site’. The Viking Centre was subsequently completed in 1997, but ran into financial difficulties soon after opening. |
| Description | In 1997 Artist Grace Weir was commissioned to develop an artwork to accompany the new Viking Centre. She created a concrete mural for the Essex Street facade of the building, which also encompasses an interior courtyard. A complex line drawing was carved into the concrete surface, creating tactile appeal. The artwork depicts a longboat, and has been described as having the appearance of a map, atlas or chart, in keeping with the nautical theme. Conversely, the square tiles creating a grid-like backdrop, and the word ‘Pegasus’ inscribed into the concrete, both seem suggestive of a skyward glancing perspective, associated with astrology and constellations of the northern sky. |
| Mediation | Overview of project by Lisa Cassidy on her blog ‘Built Dublin’: http://builtdublin.com/concrete-mural-essex-street-west-temple-bar-dublin-2/ For more information on the architecture and development of the ‘Viking Centre’ building see: http://www.dmod.ie/entertainment-leisure/viking-centre/ http://www.gilroymcmahon.com/projects/cultural/theatre.htm For more information on the development of Templebar see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_and_preservation_in_Dublin |
| Biographies | Grace Weir studied at the National College of Art and Design, followed by a M.Sc at Trinity College, Dublin. She represented Ireland at the 49th International Venice Biennale and is currently Artist-in-Residence in the School Of Physics and Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin. Her work has been widely exhibited in Ireland and internationally, as outlined on her website |
| Commission Type | Local Authority |
| Commissioner Name | Temple Bar Properties |
| Commissioning process | Open competition |
| Partners | Dublin Corporation; Dublin Tourism |
| Artform | Visual Arts |
| Funded By | Dublin City Council |
| Percent for art | Yes |
| Budget Range | 0 - 10000 euro |
| Project commission end date | 31/12/1997 |
| County | Dublin |
| Town | Dublin |
| Street Address | Essex St. West, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 |
| Content contributor(s) | Web Editor |
| Associated professionals / Specialists involved | Gilroy McMahon Architects |