3D animated mural unveiled at Smithfield’s Haymarket Square

‘Perpetua’ by artist James Earley and the creative arts studio Algorithm, is a new 3D animated mural installation. It was launched on the 6th of March.

In partnership with National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL) at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD)  This ground-breaking installation of new public artwork was unveiled at 7.30pm on Haymarket Square, Smithfield, Dublin 7 and will remain on view until Sunday, 10^th March 2019.

Internationally celebrated Irish artist James Earley is known 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. He is best-known in Ireland 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.

With ‘Perpetua’ 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.

James Earley said of the work:

“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”

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.

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.”

Speaking about the installation, Clare Lymer from NIVAL (National Irish Visual Arts Library ) 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.”

An original score by Simon Cullen was composed to complement the animation, making the installation a completely immersive experience.

Supported by Dublin City Council, the artwork will remain static during daylight hours, before coming to life between 6pm – 11pm (It runs from Thursday 7th of March to Sunday 10th) transforming into an array of colour and animation across the walls of Haymarket Square.

For more information visit: www.nival.ie.