Galway is well-known for its artistic culture, and the latest addition to the city’s artistic scene is the ‘Before I Die’ wall which appeared on Dominick Street a fortnight ago.
Situated between Carroll’s pub and the Arts Centre, the wall was created by GMIT lecturer Declan Sheridan and a number of Film and Documentary students at GMIT.
The aim of the wall is to provide passers-by from all sections of the public with an opportunity to share their hopes and dreams for the future.
According to Cllr McNelis, the artists got permission from the owners of the building and are running the interactive art project as part of their art course.
The wall was created on the longest day of the year, June 21, and within 24 hours, it was completely full and continues to attract the attention and curiosity of those who walk by.
Once it’s full, the students who run it take photographs of it and share them on the ‘Before I Die Wall – Galway’ Facebook page before wiping it clean, to allow more people to come along and fill it up with inspirational messages and dreams.
“It’s good for Galway. It’s something different to show the creativity that’s in Galway, so I’d just say well done to them all,” said Cllr McNelis, who says the wall really creates “that Left Bank feel, which is the west end”.
“And as somebody who is very involved in Tidy Towns, it shows what can be done with empty shop units – to have them owned by the street and by the community. It looks smart. It’s way better than having a load of tags on the side of the wall?”
The original Before I Die Wall was created by New Orleans artist Candy Chang who came up with the idea after losing someone she loved and experiencing a deep depression.
To Candy, it was all an experiment, but the day after she created the wall on the side of an abandoned building in her local neighbourhood, it was full of responses and still growing.
Since then, more than 1,000 Before I Die walls have been created in over 70 countries.
Creators of the Galway wall include Shakeela Singh, Fintan Geraghty, Katie McDonagh, Noel Geraghty, David O’Brien, Jane Cloonan, Cian Strain, Alan Mescall and Declan Sheridan.
“Galway is a city full of artistic and inspirational people, and I think this wall gives people a free, easy way of connecting with others from all walks of life. Our city thrives on being able to be a community, and I think this wall serves as an outlet for this. It also allows people who may not necessarily have a great interest in art, to take part and connect directly with Galway’s art scene,” said Katie McDonagh.
The wall can be seen on Dominick Street and everyone is welcome to go down there, reflect on their lives and share their aspirations with the rest of the city.
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