New artwork lights the way for Dublin’s maritime traffic

A UNIQUE new public artwork has gone on display in the city centre that captures ships’ movements in and out of Dublin Port.

The Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality and Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Aodhán � Ríordáin, officially opened the art installation entitled

‘Dublin Ships’ at the Scherzer Bridges beside the Convention Centre on North Wall Quay.

Commissioned by Dublin City Council and supported by the Dublin Port Company, the installation was created by the artist Cliona Harmey as a new piece of public artwork that brings to life the movements of ships entering and leaving Dublin Port every day.

If offers a digital log of the port’s activities as live electronic signals track the arrival and departure of each ship to Dublin Port.

The name of the ship is then transmitted in real-time to two large LED screens facing towards the city, and remains illuminated in black and white until the next ship either arrives in or leaves the port.

Dublin’s citizens, commuters and pedestrians can now see the newest addition to the city’s public art collection during the installation’s six month tenure.

The piece was commissioned by Dublin City Council as part of the Dublin City Public Art Programme under the theme of

‘Interaction and the City’ and received funding by Dublin Port Company.

“The artwork is concerned with the historical significance and poetic qualities of ship names,

? Cliona said.

“The project links the efficient system of sea traffic with historical and geographic legacies. The ship names include allusions to maritime histories, trade, cargoes, historical figures, and distant places.

“The juxtaposition of the two ship names generates a form of poetic writing. The work also interrupts the speed of instantaneous data and returns it to the speed of movement of real entities in space.

?

The programming behind the artwork was created by Ruadhán O’Donoghue, a web and mobile developer and consultant, who is based in Berlin and Dublin.

He graduated from UCD Computer Science in 1998, and is currently editor and contributor of mobiForge, a developer site focussing on mobile web technologies.

Ruadhán, or

‘Ruzer’ as he is known, who is originally from Leopardstown, said he got involved in the project through his love of

“ships, boats, schooners and all things maritime

?.

“I love programming for the digital arts,

? he added.

“I’d love to get involved in more projects like this.

?

Eamonn O’Reilly, chief executive, Dublin Port Company, said they were delighted with the new art project.

“Cliona’s work creates a very strong visual and cultural link between Dublin Port and the city in an age when the day-to-day workings of the port are no longer in full view of the city,

? he said.

“Cliona’s work tells the story of the port’s movements and activities in a way that is simple, elegant and visually captivating. I hope that Dubliners and visitors to the city will be intrigued and rediscover Dublin as a port city.

?

Dublin City Council’s Public Art Programme offers opportunities for artists to engage with the city, both as an international capital and as one of communities and localities.