"Nesting Chairs" 1997 Temple Bar Street Art Symposium

"Nesting Chairs" 1997

Commissioned by Temple Bar Properties for the Temple Bar Street Art Symposium. 17th September - 26th October 1997

I use chairs in my artwork in a figurative manner & the chair brings with it all the associations of home. By bringing this figure of domestic life out to the streets of Temple Bar, I want to highlight the fact that the area is not only a district for shopping & entertainment, it is a neighbourhood & a home to many people.

The wooden chairs were donated by Dublin Corporation from a warehouse of what appeared to be mostly scrap furniture. During the symposium I worked outside on the footpath, sanding and repainting these wooden chairs, and taking time to speak with interested passers-by. I also went round to local businesses, explaining the project and requesting permission to hang one of the chairs outside their premises. Most businesses were interested and eager to get involved, so the chairs had plenty of locations to be exhibited at during the symposium.

There is a certain absurdity to the image of a colourful chair locked to a pole, a playfulness reflected in the choice of "toy" colours. Another echo of domesticity is the way I moved the chairs gradually from street to street like a herd of grazing cattle. This "flock" was then dispersed to sites throughout the neighbourhood.

Image Details

• Image from catalogue
• Chair in alcove of Black Church Print Studios
• Chair near wooden doors
• Chair hanging from lamp