URBAN EXPRESSION AND DEPRESSIONPHOTOGRAPHED BY WILLIAM MURPHY

CHRISTMAS 2014

When I started as a street photographer, my lens was almost exclusively focused on derelict buildings and the vibrant street art that adorned them. For a while, there was an abundance of subjects, but by late 2014, a distinct change was underway. Looking back from August 2025, it's clear that the dynamic landscape of urban art was in the midst of a profound transformation.

FLOWERS ON THE STREET

Lula Goce's contribution to the 2017 Waterford Walls Festival was a significant addition to the city's burgeoning outdoor gallery. Titled "Flowers on O'Connell Street," the mural was painted on a prominent location at the rear of Dooley's Hotel. The creation of this artwork took place during the festival’s third and largest year, which featured 40 artists from five continents. Goce’s process was notably challenging due to persistent heavy rain. An interesting detail is her use of durable emulsion house paint, designed to last for a decade or more. The fact that the mural would eventually be replaced, despite the use of a long-lasting material, is a crucial point that highlights the festival's overarching philosophy.

MURAL BY SONNY SUNDANCER

COMPLETED AUGUST 2017

Sarosky is a talented painter and muralist from Madrid, Spain. She has a distinctive artistic style, often using vibrant colours and bold lines to create portraits and figures that capture the spirit and energy of her subjects. Her work frequently incorporates elements of nature and intricate patterns, giving her pieces a unique, dreamlike quality. This particular piece of street art, featuring a portrait of Luke Kelly, is part of her ongoing mission to bring art to public spaces and celebrate cultural icons.

LUKE KELLY

A NEW EXAMPLE OF STREET ART BY SAROSKY

Sarosky is a talented painter and muralist from Madrid, Spain. She has a distinctive artistic style, often using vibrant colours and bold lines to create portraits and figures that capture the spirit and energy of her subjects. Her work frequently incorporates elements of nature and intricate patterns, giving her pieces a unique, dreamlike quality. This particular piece of street art, featuring a portrait of Luke Kelly, is part of her ongoing mission to bring art to public spaces and celebrate cultural icons.

SUSSEX STREET IN DUN LAOGHAIRE

3 JULY 2025

Photographs taken on Sussex Street in Dún Laoghaire on 3rd July 2025 capture a scene of stark contradiction. One wall of the Boylan Youth Centre bursts with a vibrant, whimsical mural, depicting a cartoonish figure gazing out at a playful cosmos. Yet, this burst of life is framed by decay. Overgrown weeds choke the pavement, bushes obscure parts of the artwork, and other views of the site reveal broken windows and a general state of dereliction. This scene presents a paradox: a building that received a "long overdue facelift" as part of a major civic art festival in 2021 now stands vacant and neglected just four years later.

WHO IS DUNCAN

I AM NOW CONVINCED THAT DUNCAN IS IN FACT D. WESTON

The compelling proposition under investigation is that this distinctive graffiti could be the work of the British street artist Duncan Weston, known by his aliases D. Weston and Petro. This report will conduct a thorough, evidence-based investigation to assess the plausibility of this attribution. The analysis will examine the graffiti's characteristics and distribution, profile Duncan Weston, and compare the potential links and discrepancies, culminating in a nuanced conclusion and recommendations for further research.

SYMBOLS ON SUSSEX STREET

3 JULY 2025

The distinctive symbolic artwork seen on several walls is the work of Signs of Power, the professional name for the Dublin-based artist Vanessa Power. She was one of the official artists commissioned for the 2021 Dún Laoghaire Anseo festival. The description of her work as "hieroglyphic" is an insightful observation of its visual effect. Power is a lettering artist and sign painter who merges the traditional craft with a modern, pop-art aesthetic. The symbols are not derived from ancient scripts but are part of a unique, stylised alphabet she has developed.

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