Monday 11th August, something new has appeared in Temple Bar. Unique and vibrant pieces of street art were unveiled as the area showcases the winners of the Invoke Street Art project.

Invoke Street Art is an exciting new public art project, aimed at increasing the use and enjoyment of public space.  Earlier this year TASCQ, the trader group in Temple Bar invited aspiring artists to create unique pieces of art and submit them for consideration to be displayed on the large traffic signal boxes on the streets in the area.  This move to bring art onto the streets of the area and to brighten up the boxes was greeted with a very high response from the artists. 
 
Now the five winners have been chosen and the art work is now on display.  Each piece is unique in its own way as they draw on characters, atmosphere and the culture of the city.

On announcing the winners, TASCQ Director, Martin Harte said, these unique artworks will greatly enhance the streetscapes in the area, now people can enjoy vibrant artworks for free as they move through the area, in order to maintain interest we hope to expand this programme so that every two to three months a new piece will be unveiled.

The five winning artists are:

Barry Haughey Click here for artwork
EUSTACE STREET
Barry Haughey's artwork represents the wide range of different characters we see in the area.

Barry Haughey spoke of his particular interest in street art. "An illustrator with a particular interest in street art and free drawing, the majority of my work is based on sketchbook drawing and doodles which are scanned into computer and manipulated on Photoshop/Illustrator, the end product being colourful digital images.  Recently I've been taking my scanned images and enlarging them via a projector onto walls."

Tommie Soros Click here for artwork
ESSEX STREET
Tommie Soros’ piece expresses the darker side of the city from loud rock sound of the venues to the anonymity felt by many.

"I am trying to achieve an expression of particular essences contained within my subjects, to explore the shadows of their unconscious.  My concern is to display mental self images that represent the desires and drives. My influences include Egon Scheile, Caravaggio and Rembrandt." Tommie Soro, who has trained in animation explained.
 
Maser Click here for artwork
O'CONNELL STREET
Maser represents a sub culture that thrives throughout the city.

Maser spoke of how this piece of work is part of a wider work for him "My work at the moment is based on the ' Maser Loves U' campaign. It's an idea derived from our urban setting, a love for our city. From this I've stuck stickers promoting the 'Maser Loves U' slogan and with additional sayings such as 'eye love this city', ‘eye feel this city's love’. This is all a part of an idea called 'the lonely hearts club', that's why I use the symbol of a heart.  These two paintings are just 2 of the girls I use in the lonely hearts club …. The concept is hard to put into words but is an ongoing project that has a lot of scope.  The streets are the key location for me to showcase my idea simply because it's about the city."

Anna Matykiewicz Click here for artwork
FISHAMBLE STREET
Anna Matykiewicz 's piece symbolizes the vibrant, creative, bohemian feel of the area.

" I express myself mostly in paintings where I present women in different states, using different techniques’ Anna Matykiewicz  explained. “This is a more personal way of expression.  I'm also interested in graphic, computer graphics and stained glass. I am using materials such as canvas, acrylics, oil and ink; I like to mix media and forms."

Shane O'Connors Click here for artwork
PARLIAMENT STREET
Shane O'Connors work embodies the Friday night, hit the town feeling, many associate with Temple Bar.
 
Recent graduate Shane O’Connors explained " I  recently completed a four year degree course in Cluain Mhuire G.M.I.T. I received a first class honours. I have exhibited in Habitat and my end of year degree show recently finished."
 
The Invoke Street Art project aims to turn traffic signal boxes in five locations in Dublin, which in many cases may be vandalized with graffiti, into a platform for original, imaginative artwork. The boxes are located in Parliament Street, Fishamble Street, Essex Street, and O’Connell Bridge.

Invoke Street Art will help enhance the beauty of the area and create a kind of ‘outdoor gallery space ‘ in Dublin’s  cultural quarter, bringing art to the street in a very creative  way.  Public art projects utilizing these traffic signal boxes  are already in operation worldwide in places such as St Benedict’s Florida, Santa Cruz L.A., Staten Island New York, Halifax Canada.