COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, December 12, 2016

QUESTION NO.9

QUESTION: Councillor D. Looney

To ask the Chief Executive if he will consider supporting a programme of utility box street art, as seen in the City Council area via the Dublin Canvass project, and to make a statement on the matter. 

REPLY:

Dublin Canvas is a community street art project initiated by Dublin City Council Public Domaine Officer as a pilot project in 2012 called Art Traffic Light Box.  The aim of the project was to animate the city by proposing art work for the Traffic Light Control Utility Boxes dotted across the city which are under constant fire from tagging, graffiti, postering and stickering.  A proposed solution was to put artwork onto the boxes, which would remove or reduce the need for maintenance and in turn animate and improve the public realm experience with a unique piece of art.  Due to the success of the pilot programme the initiative was subsequently rolled out across the city, focusing particularly on locations targeted by tagging, graffiti. The project will finish this year with a total of 76 traffic light Boxes completed in 2016.

South Dublin County Council's Environmental Education Awareness Office has initiated a similar pilot programme using football containers and is consulting with football clubs to agree a number of themes that artists can respond to in their proposals. The Environmental Education Awareness Office is also currently examining the process involved in the Dublin Canvas project. The Arts Office will support the promotion of these projects as they develop.