Project to culminate in an Urban Art Trail complete with audio
Ciarán Dunlevy certainly caught the imagination of the people of Drogheda last September when he painted his fabulous Salmon of Knowledge mural on the wall of the Fitzwilliam Court building in Dyer Street.
However, Ciarán’s work was just the first of six public realm art installations in a series called DRAWDA and on Tuesday of this week Dutch artist Nina Valkhoff started work on the second mural at Meatmarket Lane.
The common themes of the DRAWDA series include the mythology of the Boyne Valley region as a whole and Drogheda’s rich history and built heritage which, sadly, has been neglected in recent years. Hopefully the DRAWDA artists will make us all understand the importance of our heritage.
Nina Valkhoff has painted large-scale murals in Sweden, Argentina, Mexico, Belgium, Portugal, Ireland, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Her style has been described as realistic with a touch of magic and extinct animals are a common theme.
For her DRAWDA mural Nina has taken her inspiration from the story of Étaín, the heroine of Tochmarc Étaíne, one of the oldest and richest stories of our Mythological Cycle.
The DRAWDA art trail is produced by Droichead Arts Centre and Love Drogheda B.I.D.S (Business Improvement District Scheme), in partnership with Louth County Council Arts Office and curators Dee Walsh and Brian Hegarty.
With another four murals still to come, the project will culminate in an Urban Art Trail complete with audio, throughout Drogheda that will focus on key figures and moments from our mythological past which will be launched with a mini family day out festival on April 23.
DRAWDA is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland under In the Open | Faoin Spéir Initiative, Louth County Council, Love Drogheda BIDS and Town & Village Accelerated Measures funding. Supported by The D Hotel, Murtagh’s of Drogheda and Colour Trend Paints.
