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Pearse Street Clinic. Signs of change: Audience and spaces of Public Art

O’Connell won an open competition to enhance the patient and staff environment for Pearse Street Health Clinic in Dublin, Ireland, based on her previous experience of developing publically sited projects (for instance “I Love Letterkenny and Letterkenny Loves Me”, 2007-8). The research responded to the Government’s Health Strategy [Quality & Fairness, A Health System for You, 2001] and Primary Care Strategy [Primary Care – A New Direction, 2001]. The objective of the project, developed through extended consultation with local community groups, was to respond to, and reflect the aspirations and experiences of those who visited the health centre as part of a daily routine – pregnancy, ongoing health issues etc. The final artwork took the format of 45ft white neon ladder installed in the atrium, designed to operate (aesthetically/conceptually) as an artwork and architecturally as a way of transforming the harshness of the institutional context for people using the healthcare services.The research process included collaboration with local fabricators in the construction of the large and unusually placed neon sign, with lighting engineers, architects and administrative staff at Pearce Street.Ruiari O’Cuiv’s analysis of the project (Dublin City council) was that it spoke directly to ‘…the personal experience of the residents of the Irishtown Area who avail or are entitled to avail of the health and personal social services.’ The Pearce Street project, has led to further publicly commissioned work in Ireland, including TULCA, the International Contemporary Arts Festival in Galway, that celebrates the work of community engagement officer Brendan ‘Speedie’ Smith, who established the Museum of Computing and Technology in Galway.