Mahon Ireland./March.2005 |
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Louise: In March 2005, during the Urban Art Festival in Cork/Ireland, I proposed my services as a painter to Louise Harrington who was working on a project with few Traveller Families from Mahon. I made very clear that I was there as a Public Painter ( the equivalent of a Public Writer), to paint whatever was needed for the community with which I was working. Not to impose my style or my ideas, but to use painting as something useful, either in an aesthetical, inspirational or practical sense.
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The Site: Louise told me about the Site where she was working, which is the first group housing scheme “given” by the president of Ireland, Mary Mc Aleese to Traveller Families. It consists of a few houses in the outskirt of town, and at the center a “Common House”. The inauguration took place on the 21 st of January 2005, but soon after the president shook everybody's hand for the press and left, many construction problems were soon discovered. Many things, (the plumbing for example), were not built to last. |
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The “Common House” had a tall grey concrete wall built all around it, bullet proof glass windows (which made no sense at all, considering it is an empty room, nevermind the fact that no-one is firing guns around…), and a 24h camera surveillance device linked to a police station. And yes, absolutely nothing was allowed to go on the walls, neither children drawing from the crèche, or any framed picture of project done by the Travellers themselves, (for example the wagon). |
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The Wall: First I was called to make a mural on the grey wall. But soon, the local authorities changed their mind and said that I was to paint on big sheets of wood instead.
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