COMPLICATED STORY
THE WRITING ON THE WALLS - WHERE ART MEETS COMMERCE AND EPHEMERALITY [WATERFORD WALLS MURALS]
The Writing on the Wall: Art, Commerce, and Ephemerality in Waterford
For over a decade, Waterford has engaged in a quiet, colourful revolution. Through the annual Waterford Walls festival, Ireland's oldest city has systematically transformed its forgotten gable ends and overlooked public spaces into a vast, celebrated open-air gallery. Each August, Irish and international artists descend upon the city, leaving a new layer of vibrant murals woven into the fabric of daily life.
Yet, these murals become silent witnesses to the life that unfolds around them. Their stories do not end when the artists pack away their spray cans. This article examines the intertwined histories of two murals from the 2017 festival, both of which began their lives with a distinct flaw. Their divergent, and ultimately convergent, paths reveal a powerful truth about the beautiful and brutal ephemerality of public art.
A Tale of Two Flawed Walls: Creation in the Rain of 2017
The third iteration of Waterford Walls in 2017 was a testament to creative resilience. The festival was plagued by what multiple sources at the time called "horrible weather" and "torrential rains". This backdrop of struggle set the stage for two artworks, each with an inherent vulnerability from its conception.
One was a major collaboration which, for one reason or another, was never officially signed. The other mural was a solo piece by the Irish artist SHUK. It was completed and signed but painted onto a far more precarious canvas—its flaw was not artistic, but contextual, tying its fate to the shifting sands of the modern high street.
Mural One: The Book Centre Collaboration (An Unofficial Legend)
On Little Patrick Street, a significant collaboration between French artist ADOR and Irish artist SHUK took place on the wall of The Book Centre. Officially, the story is that the appalling weather prevented the artists from signing the piece. However, a more intriguing local narrative suggests it was a spontaneous collaboration created without prior approval, with the bad weather providing the perfect plausible cover story.
Whichever version is true, the artwork began its life as 'unofficial'. For years, its survival was a testament to the stability of its canvas and the support of the building's owners, who allowed a guerrilla artwork—whether accidental or intentional—to become a beloved fixture. For a time, it seemed to have escaped the precarious fate of its contemporary.
Mural Two: The Michael Street Solo (An Official Casualty)
A short distance away, on Michael Street, SHUK undertook a solo piece on the side of number 13. This mural was, by all accounts, a complete, signed work. Its flaw was its location. In November 2017, the independent gift shop Finders Keepers opened in the building. From that moment, the mural’s fate was tied directly to the fortunes of a small, independent start-up and a building caught in the crosshairs of urban development.
The Keeper of Michael Street: The Rise and Fall of a Cherished Shop
The story of Finders Keepers is a poignant case study in the pressures of modern independent retail. Its closure in 2024 was not a tale of failure, but a narrative of success achieved at an unsustainable human cost. Founded in 2017, the shop thrived, adapting brilliantly during the pandemic. However, owner Lisa Connolly eventually closed the business due to profound burnout, describing running it as "like running an ultra-marathon" with no finish line in sight.
A Mural in Limbo: Art Caught in Bureaucratic Crossfire
With the shop's closure, the mural's fate was sealed by a larger battle. The building had been the subject of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) by the council for a redevelopment project. Though the owner fought off the CPO, the period of legal uncertainty led to the mural's neglect. Once the building was prepared for new tenants, its commercial needs took precedence. New windows were installed, irrevocably cutting into and destroying the artwork.
Epilogue: Echoes on the Walls (August 2025)
A visit to Waterford in August 2025 reveals the final chapter. The mural on Michael Street is a fragmented ghost on a vacant building. More strikingly, the wall of The Book Centre hosts a brand new piece of art. The legendary, 'unofficial' collaboration from 2017 is gone, painted over as part of the festival's natural cycle of renewal.
The story is best captured by an interaction with an official festival guide. When asked about the new artwork that had replaced the beloved 2017 piece, she was reluctant to discuss its predecessor. Instead, she deflected, drawing attention to the sad remnants of the Finders Keepers mural down the street—a safer, less complicated topic.
Her hesitation was telling. She later mentioned the criteria by which the festival might consider an artwork to be 'unofficial': its creation without prior approval or the lack of an artist's signature. The Book Centre mural, by either the 'rain' or 'rebellion' narrative, met these criteria perfectly. Its unofficial status, once a charming part of its legend, perhaps made it an easier, less controversial choice for replacement.
Ultimately, both flawed murals from that rainy week in 2017 are gone. One was erased by commerce and bureaucracy, the other by the very creative tide that birthed it. Their stories prove that the most compelling aspect of street art is its ephemerality. The writing on the wall is not meant to last, and its memory is often its most powerful legacy.
The Writing on the Wall: Art, Commerce, and Ephemerality in Waterford
For over a decade, Waterford has engaged in a quiet, colourful revolution. Through the annual Waterford Walls festival, Ireland's oldest city has systematically transformed its forgotten gable ends and overlooked public spaces into a vast, celebrated open-air gallery. Each August, Irish and international artists descend upon the city, leaving a new layer of vibrant murals woven into the fabric of daily life.
Yet, these murals become silent witnesses to the life that unfolds around them. Their stories do not end when the artists pack away their spray cans. This article examines the intertwined histories of two murals from the 2017 festival, both of which began their lives with a distinct flaw. Their divergent, and ultimately convergent, paths reveal a powerful truth about the beautiful and brutal ephemerality of public art.
A Tale of Two Flawed Walls: Creation in the Rain of 2017
The third iteration of Waterford Walls in 2017 was a testament to creative resilience. The festival was plagued by what multiple sources at the time called "horrible weather" and "torrential rains". This backdrop of struggle set the stage for two artworks, each with an inherent vulnerability from its conception.
One was a major collaboration which, for one reason or another, was never officially signed. The other mural was a solo piece by the Irish artist SHUK. It was completed and signed but painted onto a far more precarious canvas—its flaw was not artistic, but contextual, tying its fate to the shifting sands of the modern high street.
Mural One: The Book Centre Collaboration (An Unofficial Legend)
On Little Patrick Street, a significant collaboration between French artist ADOR and Irish artist SHUK took place on the wall of The Book Centre. Officially, the story is that the appalling weather prevented the artists from signing the piece. However, a more intriguing local narrative suggests it was a spontaneous collaboration created without prior approval, with the bad weather providing the perfect plausible cover story.
Whichever version is true, the artwork began its life as 'unofficial'. For years, its survival was a testament to the stability of its canvas and the support of the building's owners, who allowed a guerrilla artwork—whether accidental or intentional—to become a beloved fixture. For a time, it seemed to have escaped the precarious fate of its contemporary.
Mural Two: The Michael Street Solo (An Official Casualty)
A short distance away, on Michael Street, SHUK undertook a solo piece on the side of number 13. This mural was, by all accounts, a complete, signed work. Its flaw was its location. In November 2017, the independent gift shop Finders Keepers opened in the building. From that moment, the mural’s fate was tied directly to the fortunes of a small, independent start-up and a building caught in the crosshairs of urban development.
The Keeper of Michael Street: The Rise and Fall of a Cherished Shop
The story of Finders Keepers is a poignant case study in the pressures of modern independent retail. Its closure in 2024 was not a tale of failure, but a narrative of success achieved at an unsustainable human cost. Founded in 2017, the shop thrived, adapting brilliantly during the pandemic. However, owner Lisa Connolly eventually closed the business due to profound burnout, describing running it as "like running an ultra-marathon" with no finish line in sight.
A Mural in Limbo: Art Caught in Bureaucratic Crossfire
With the shop's closure, the mural's fate was sealed by a larger battle. The building had been the subject of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) by the council for a redevelopment project. Though the owner fought off the CPO, the period of legal uncertainty led to the mural's neglect. Once the building was prepared for new tenants, its commercial needs took precedence. New windows were installed, irrevocably cutting into and destroying the artwork.
Epilogue: Echoes on the Walls (August 2025)
A visit to Waterford in August 2025 reveals the final chapter. The mural on Michael Street is a fragmented ghost on a vacant building. More strikingly, the wall of The Book Centre hosts a brand new piece of art. The legendary, 'unofficial' collaboration from 2017 is gone, painted over as part of the festival's natural cycle of renewal.
The story is best captured by an interaction with an official festival guide. When asked about the new artwork that had replaced the beloved 2017 piece, she was reluctant to discuss its predecessor. Instead, she deflected, drawing attention to the sad remnants of the Finders Keepers mural down the street—a safer, less complicated topic.
Her hesitation was telling. She later mentioned the criteria by which the festival might consider an artwork to be 'unofficial': its creation without prior approval or the lack of an artist's signature. The Book Centre mural, by either the 'rain' or 'rebellion' narrative, met these criteria perfectly. Its unofficial status, once a charming part of its legend, perhaps made it an easier, less controversial choice for replacement.
Ultimately, both flawed murals from that rainy week in 2017 are gone. One was erased by commerce and bureaucracy, the other by the very creative tide that birthed it. Their stories prove that the most compelling aspect of street art is its ephemerality. The writing on the wall is not meant to last, and its memory is often its most powerful legacy.