'...the lives we live' Grangegorman Public Art Book

Contents
‘…the lives we live’
Grangegorman
Development Agency
Compiled and Edited by
Jenny Haughton and Lori Keeve
Proofread by Christopher Steenson
Design by Unthink
Printed by Impress Printing Works
December 2020. All rights reserved
Grangegorman Development Agency,
the authors, artists and publishers.
All images are copyright of the artists,
the Agency or named photographers.
© All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without the prior
permission in writing of the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-9998617-1-1
Published by Grangegorman
Development Agency
Gníomhaireacht Forbartha
Ghráinseach Ghormáin
Grangegorman Road Lower,
Dublin 7, Ireland.
www.ggda.ie/public_art
10
A note to the reader
Jenny Haughton,
Public Art Coordinator.
12
‘…the lives we live’ Grangegorman
Public Art 2013–2021
Prof. Ciarán Benson, Chair,
Public Art Working Group.
17
Making It: Cities Under Co-Construction
Prof. Doris Sommer critiques
the UN’s over-emphasis on
policing and infrastructure
while gesturing to the arts in
achieving safety in the city.
Sommer introduced Pre-Texts
to Dublin’s inner city as an
art-based method of encouraging
people back to reading and
learning.
22
Some New Life for This Old Town
Ger Casey, Chief Executive,
Grangegorman Development
Agency, provides an overview
of the role and challenges
for this government appointed
Agency, established in 2006
to redevelop the 73 acre
Grangegorman site into a
revitalised and repurposed
urban quarter.
24
A Masterplan for the 21 st Century
John Mitchell, DMOD Architects,
shares some of his own insights
into the crafting and delivery
of the Masterplan for the
site. Included is a note by
Masterplanner James Mary
O’Connor, originally from
the area, describing how he
drew the original sketch that
has informed and guided the
Masterplan for over a decade.
26
Caring at Grangegorman:
Past, Present and Future
Derek Dockrell, Senior
Architect, Health Service
Executive, acknowledges the
chequered history of health
services and points to the
reuse and reintegration of new
and improved health services
that will ensure a patientcentred
approach to healthcare.
31
Breaking the Rule of Silence
Justine McDonnell’s
performative piece is about
the past and the continued
oppression traced to the ever
unfolding histories that resist
the politicisation of silence.
Essay by Sara Muthi.
36
In the 21 st Century, What Does it Take to Build
and Establish a Technological University in the
City and in the Wider World?
Prof. David FitzPatrick, newly
appointed to the position
of President of TU Dublin,
addresses this question by
positioning Ireland’s first
Technological University within
the international educational
sector, emphasising the
integrated approach to student
learning through practice,
research and engagement.
41
The Possibility of an Archive
Alan Phelan’s monumental video
projection onto the new Energy
Services Building comprises the
animation of classification
headings culled from historical
records of the former mental
health institutions. In
this way Phelan reveals past
human dystopias upon which
Grangegorman is being rebuilt.
47
THE GOLDEN BANDSTAND – Sculpture
Garrett Phelan continues to
explore art as function in
accessible environments. This
‘footprint’ is a signifier
for what will be situated
within sight of the general,
academic, educational and
nursing communities by summer
2021. Initially influenced by
the work of Dr. Joseph Lalor,
a Medical Superintendent at the
Grangegorman site in the 19 th
century, Phelan is committed
to art that is accessible to
people from all walks of life.
53
Solaris Nexum
Alexandra Carr explores our
changing connection to the sun
through technological shifts
of various ages. Comprised
of hundreds of triangular
polycarbonate panels that make
up a colossal helical sculpture
projected onto catenary arches,
it cascades down four floors
of the atrium in TU Dublin’s
Central Quad. This is a sitespecific
collaboration with
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
which will be installed by
summer 2021.
59
Endless Play
Walker and Walker’s sculpture
continues these artists’
questioning around the
relationship between the
observer and the observed.
Their intent is that this be
situated within the courtyard
of TU Dublin’s West Quad.
The artists are influenced
by Edouard Manet’s painting
Music in the Tuileries
(1862), housed in the Hugh
Lane Gallery Dublin, which
plays with similar concerns
to Diego Velazquez’ painting
Las Meninas. This is a sitespecific
collaboration with
Heneghan Peng Architects.
1 Extract from Dreams of a Summer
Night, New Collected Poems (2011),
by kind permission of the author,
Derek Mahon, and The Gallery Press.