LUMENS – Newtownsmith, Dún Laoghaire – currently on show

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is delighted to announce the launch of a new temporary piece of public art, commissioned under the Percent for Art Scheme Lumens project. The work, entitled “Saoi”, by artist Seamus Kennedy opened on 22nd March on the green beside the sea at Newtownsmith in Dun Laoghaire and is still on show. The Lumens commission invited artists to respond to the idea of working with light / illumination within the town of Dún Laoghaire. The project is part of the County Council's ongoing commitment to supporting innovative and creative contemporary art practice within the public sphere.

Donegal based Kennedy has created “Saoi” (the Irish word for wisdom), based on the idea that boulders along the shore of Dún Laoghaire have been witness to hundreds, if not thousands, of years of time. These silent, seemingly innocuous forms hold many secrets, and given the opportunity could tell many stories. By day they look like boulders cast up from the shore below; however, as dusk approaches and throughout the night, they become alive and impart information through illuminated text. At intervals, each boulder flashes with colour.

Seamus Kennedy is a Donegal-based artist. He studied at Dún Laoghaire College of Art and at Staffordshire University in the UK. Seamus is a member of the groups ‘Saothar Ealaíon' and ‘An Cosán Glas', which conduct public art and children's art workshops and is very involved in the Earagail Arts Festival. Seamus has exhibited widely both in Ireland and abroad.

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