Press Release - Perpetua
3D animated mural to be unveiled at Smithfield’s Haymarket Square
Wednesday, 6th March 2019
The National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL) at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in partnership with artist James Earley and the creative arts studio Algorithm, will today (06.03.19) launch ‘Perpetua’, a new 3D animated mural installation. This ground-breaking installation of new public artwork will be unveiled at 7.30pm on Haymarket Square, Smithfield, Dublin 7 and will remain on view until Sunday, 10th March 2019.
Supported by Dublin City Council, the artwork will remain static during daylight hours, before coming to life between 6pm – 11pm (Thursday – Sunday) transforming into an array of colour and animation across the walls of Haymarket Square.
Earley conceptualised the project by exploring his family archive of stained glass design work, housed in the ‘Earley and Company’ archive at NIVAL. By then blending his signature stained-glass aesthetic with Algorithm’s cutting-edge projection mapping techniques, he created an artwork that plays with space and perspective to transform the mundane into the magical.
Speaking about the installation, Clare Lymer from NIVAL Digital Collections said: “We are delighted to see this innovative work explore and utilise all aspects of the NIVAL archives. Our aim is to collect, store and make accessible an unparalleled collection of archive material relating to Irish visual culture. This collaboration with James and the team at Algorithm is a fantastic example of how we can use our archives to continue to revise creative ideas and reimagine design concepts by looking at what’s come before.”
She added: “We are encouraging the public to document the artwork on social media using the hashtag #PerpetuaMural. Images posted using this hashtag will be collected and stored by the library’s archive as documentation of ephemeral artwork. In this way, the local community can contribute to the archive and we can engage the community in our archiving processes.
“As a collaborative undertaking, this project demonstrates NIVAL’s facets as a facilitator and a collector. This newly gathered documentation will enrich our existing archive collection of street art, which is a genre that often poses difficulties to traditional archive methods due to its ephemeral nature.”
Commenting, James Earley said: “I’m very excited for the public to experience this collaborative artwork with Algorithm. We have fused our crafts to create a unique, interactive piece that we hope will inspire and push the boundaries within the realm of public art. The installation manipulates light, colour and movement to open up a portal to another world”
An original score by Simon Cullen was composed to complement the animation, making the installation a completely immersive experience.
Creative Director at Algorithm, Daniel Staines said: “We’re very proud to showcase our unique approach to projection mapping through this project. This is our first public art collaboration and working with James has encouraged us to explore a new creative process. This interactive 3D installation in Smithfield is also a great opportunity for us to connect with the Dublin 7 community, where Algorithm has been proud to call home since 2015.”
For more information visit: www.nival.ie.
ENDS
Contact: David O’Donnell, DHR Communications, Tel: 01-4200580 / 086-1081139
Notes for Editors:
Clare Lymer and James Earley are available for media interviews on request.
Images of the artwork installation are available to download here.
A promotion video for the exhibition is available to download here.
About NCAD
The National College of Art and Design occupies a unique position in art and design education in Ireland. It offers the largest range of Art and Design degrees in the State at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and is the only Irish university institution specialising in Art and Design. NCAD has over 1,100 full-time students and a further 450 students who take award and non-award bearing part-time classes. Further information is available at www.ncad.ie
Follow NCAD on Twitter: @NCAD_Dublin, Instagram @ncad_dublin, or Facebook www.facebook.com/NCAD.Dublin. #studyatNCAD
About NIVAL
The National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL) is a public research resource dedicated to the documentation of 20th and 21st century Irish art and design. NIVAL collects, stores and makes accessible to the public an unparalleled collection of material relating to Irish visual culture from 1900 to the present day. Established in 1997 as an initiative of NCAD and the Arts Council, NIVAL is the foremost research collection for the study of the visual arts in Ireland.
There are two sides to NIVAL – equally important and co-dependent. NIVAL: the Facilitator, nurtures collaborative relationships with living art makers and fosters active research practice. NIVAL: the Collection, documents the rich legacy of Irish art and design history to ensure access to information for generations to come. Taken as a whole, NIVAL: the Library, serves the needs of a diverse audience who share a common interest in Ireland’s visual cultural memory.
About James Earley
James Earley is celebrated at home and abroad for his abstract, colourful painted murals that pay homage to traditional stained glass – an art-form that members of his family have been perfecting for over 150 years. He has created public artworks across Europe, Asia and the US. At home he is perhaps best-known for painting Blooms Hotel in Dublin’s Temple Bar – a project that took an entire year to complete and remains Ireland’s largest public artwork.
About Algorithm
Since its foundation in Smithfield in 2015, Algorithm has made a name for itself using art and technology to create award winning immersive experiences. They have created artworks across Europe and the USA, and have built stages and light shows at some of Europe’s biggest festivals, including Electric Picnic, Roskilde and Bestival, along with commissions from Google, Facebook and Web Summit.
