COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE

Monday, October 18, 2021

QUESTION NO.1

QUESTION: Councillor T. Costello

"To ask the manager has there been a decision regarding the N81 Public Art Tender. Who is responsible for reviewing submissions?".

REPLY:

In relation to the N81 Glenview Roundabout commission, the Arts Office has administered the selection process in conjunction with the project manager in Public Realm. A two stage open competition was held in 2021 that saw 28 applications submitted in response to the artists brief. The selection panel selected 6 of these application for further development and to go to stage 2.

The selection panel included:  Cllr Mick Duff (Chair of the Tallaght ACM), Suzanne Furlong (Senior Parks Superintendent), Irenie McLoughlin (Architectural Conservation Officer), James Hayes (Independent Artist), Catherine Hemelryk (CCMA, Derry), Orla Scannell (Arts Officer) and Shelly McDonnell (Public Art Advisor, Visual Artists Ireland), as observer.

The panel met in August 2021 to review the 6 submissions to stage two of the process. The submission that scored highest across all of the criteria came from artists Liam O’Callaghan and Mark Clare, who proposed an artwork in coloured steel  that references the spire of St. Maelruains Church in Tallaght, the buildings and housing that have grown up around it in the wider area of Tallaght and the diversity of the communities in the area. The sculpture is 7m tall and 6.5 m’s wide.

The contract with the artists is currently being finalised. Once work progresses in accordance with the current programme the artwork will be expected to be installed towards the end of Spring 2022.