DUBLIN Airport has unveiled the latest art installation in its Creative Journeys initiative which is on display in Terminal 1.
Deirdre Byrne, a visual artist and illustrator, was selected as the winning entrant from over 102 submissions following an open call competition.
Her winning entry, ‘High Flyers’, is now on display on a large billboard beyond the passenger security screening area near the Pier 3 boarding gates.
Ms Byrne is currently living in Seville and her work has been exhibited in Ireland, Spain, China, Iceland and New Zealand. At the official unveiling of the painting, Dublin Airport managing director Vincent Harrison paid tribute to the artist.
“I want to congratulate Deirdre on her winning submission, which is now part of our Creative Journeys partnership,” he said.
“We are delighted to feature her hugely impressive and striking piece of art. Dublin Airport provides the first welcome and the last goodbye to Ireland for tens of millions of people every year and High Flyers will be viewed and appreciated by thousands of passengers every day.”
Ms Byrne, who has a degree in Fine Art Painting and a postgraduate qualification in Art and Design Education from NCAD, was inspired by the landscape she sees from the air each time she returns to Dublin.
“When I learned of the open call competition, I thought this familiar landscape would make a good image for the billboard,” she said.
“The kites in my painting were inspired by the work of the Wildlife Management Team in Dublin Airport, which use kites depicting birds of prey to deter actual birds from the runway."
High Flyers is the fifth installation to be erected in the airport since the beginning of the Creative Journeys partnership with NCAD and Business to Arts.