Luas Art Competition 2012

Winner & Runners-up Biographies

1) Name: Gabrielle Rose Position: Winner Entry Title: ‘Linking up’

The Entry – ‘Linking up’ The two schoolchildren pictured represent the positive, fresh new change of the Red and Green Luas Lines linking up in the planned new extension of the Luas Green Line - ‘Luas Broombridge’. The symbolism in the illustration is that people on both Luas lines will be easily and simply brought together from different areas of Dublin, as represented by the different school uniforms. The Artist - Gabrielle Rose Gabrielle Rose is a 25 year old living, working and studying in Dublin. She was educated in London and studied Animation at the University Of The Arts. Drawing from a young age, Gabrielle has a great love for the arts and is glad of the great opportunity and honour to be chosen as the Winner of this year’s Luas Art Competition.

2) Name: Arif Iqbal Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Missing link’

The Artist

I am currently a student of 1st year BA Animation in the reputed Ballyfermot

College in Dublin. I love drawing and at the moment I am concentrating more on

developing my art skills. You can find more of my art at

http://kenshiarif.blogspot.ie/ and https://www.facebook.com/MisterGein. My other

hobbies would be practicing Kendo with Dublin Kendo Kubokai and I am a big fan

of Stan Winston's Predator and working closely with Predators Ireland.

The Entry

The artwork was a last minute submission. Due to the fact that the submission

date was only a day later I decided to spend most of my available time on

researching the history of Luas to get a proper direction and clear Idea of the

artwork. Since the theme contains the term 'missing link' I have linked the artwork

to Charles Darwin and then tried to show an evolution of Irish Trams and Luas

which arrives into perfection by reaching Broombridge. The history is a

fascinating one and I would suggest everyone to have a read at the history and

development of Luas over the internet.

3) Name: David O’Brien Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Dublink’

The Artist

I am a 26 year old Dubliner. I have Higher Certificates in audio visual media

technology and TV and Film production and I'm currently working as an assistant

video editor. I have also worked as an assistant cameraman and production

runner. My two passions are Film production and Art. I love animation and some

of favourite TV animated shows include: The Simpsons and South Park. A few of

my favourite animated films include: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Space Jam, The

Illusionist, Corspe Bride, Frankenweenie and nearly everything that Pixar

produce. I hope to combine my two passions one day and produce or work on

post production on an animated feature film.

The Entry

For my entry I combined the elements of a toy set and a google-esk map. I

wanted the track of the Red line to link to the Green line, which links the

Northside of the Liffey to the Southside and forms to create the word Dublin. And

as you can also see in the image, the four seasons feature. Spring on the left top

hand corner transitions into the summer on the top right. Then on the bottom left,

autumn transitions into winter on the bottom right. Each Luas line also ends with

an open link that I feel and hope will be extended sometime in the future.

4) Name: Denis Nolan Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Arrival’

The Artist

Denis Nolan is a Graphic Designer based in the Southeast, educated in Carlow

Institute of Technology and South Bank University London, and working with

clients in diverse fields such as the corporate, entertainment and retail sectors.

He believes that great art and design can only come from understanding before

acting, with the conviction that the appropriate solution cannot happen without

intelligence, discussion and passion. Visit denisnolan.com to learn more.

The Entry

Travelling into town from the Red Cow Park + Ride, and seeing the

advertisement for this year’s Luas Art Competition, I daydreamed a little about a

possible entry addressing the “Missing Link” question. After a week of allowing

ideas to spin around my head, I set upon the idea of a huge monolith in the form

of a Luas tram arriving in Broombridge. Painting the tram from a low-level

perspective would help to give it an immense appearance, literally “the next big

thing”. Funnily enough, in my mind, the original idea was set during the day, but

as I painted away the artwork slowly evolved into a night scene, making the most

of the tram lighting and using urban neon streaks to dramatic effect. I’m very

satisfied with the finished result.

5) Name: Don Carey Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Luas - Adding the missing link’

The Artist

I previously studied Architectural Technology and worked in an architectural

practice before deciding to study animation. I am currently a final year degree

student of Animation at Ballyfermot College of Further Education.

The Entry

My entry was inspired by the Luas Broombridge extension effectively becoming

the final ‘link’ in the chain the will allow the red and green Luas lines to meet.

6) Name: Ed Parkinson Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Luas Missing Link’

The Artist

Ed Parkinson is an artist working at bringing thoughts, abstract ideas and spiritual

concepts into pictures we can see and easily understand. The concepts covered include:

dreams, life's journey, our inner selves and soul. On seeing the work people have said "I

can now see the thoughts I've been thinking. The pictures have confirmed that my

thoughts are real". Ed says “If people can get a better understanding of a deep or

spiritual concept by seeing my work, then it has been worth my time producing it. That is

my goal as an artist.” Ed’s current medium is painting using a computer (digital art). He

uses a combination of painting, 3D design, photos and lot of imagination to produce his

pictures. You can see his work on www.EdP-SpiritualArt.com and

www.SpiritualArtBlog.com

The Entry

Ed Parkinson has turned the Luas map into a space landscape similar to the images

we've seen from the Hubble telescope. It's like we've just discovered the missing link in

space. If you look closely you may recognise the shape as a map of Dublin. On the right

is Dublin Bay, in blue with the river Liffey and the two canals extending into the deep

purple of the city. The two Luas lines are in their red and green colours, including the

new proposed stops on the Green line, with the “missing link” shining brightly. The stars

are randomly scattered but represent the various communities and areas of Dublin city.

There is also a hint of the M50 motorway as it curves around the city. This is the second

time Ed Parkinson has been a runner up in the Luas Art Competition. His entry for 2009,

Luas Spirals, earned him a place in that year's calendar. Ed has an exhibition of his work

opening in the Ranelagh Arts Centre, Dublin 6, on 26th November and running for a

week. During that time he will be showing his recent work and giving talks offering

techniques and insights to help us discover the happy, peaceful side of ourselves while

discussing the spiritual nature of his work.

7) Name: Kevin Goss-Ross Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Luas - Adding the Missing Link’

The Artist I am a professional photographer with a degree in graphic design new to the city

of Dublin. I specialise in what could be termed environmental travel portraiture

and low light photography, but I draw and do design when I have time. For more

from me, visit www.kevingoss-ross.com.

The Entry

My entry showed a Celtic knot on its last step of completion, the missing Luas link

about to be put in place to complete an endless network of transport. The clean

design mirrors the cleanliness of the Luas as it travels through some of

Dublin's landmarks over a line drawing of a typical suburban Dublin skyline.

Integrated details include a stylized line inspired by the Luas stop map as well as

a red and a green oval intersecting and overlapping at the centre of the spaghetti

styled mess of a poster.

8) Name: Mags Harnett Position: Runner-up Entry Title: Luas Words

The Artist Mags Harnett worked briefly in advertising in Dublin before going to live in France (Paris) and later Germany (Cologne) at the age of 21. She read French and German, at Trinity College Dublin graduating with an honours degree in 1998 and went on to study Fine art for five years at l’Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Tours, in France, where she graduated with an honours degree in 2005. She joined the Bled group of artists in Saint Pierre des Corps, France, in 2009. She worked as an independent translator and a teacher (University Francois Rabelais and Brassart School of Graphic Design in Tours, France) before returning to her native Dublin in 2011 where she lives with her two children and works in her studio-attic. She recently had a solo exhibition at the Copper House Gallery in Synge street in Dublin (September 2012). The exhibition, entitled A Thousand words, showed her latest work using pen and ink (and sometimes rain and sun) on paper. She uses written words in these pieces to create a vibrant palimpsest of colour. To see some of her work you can visit her website at http://www.magsharnett.com or on the site of the Copper House Gallery http://www.thecopperhousegallery.com/artists/72-Mags-Harnett/works/

The Entry The piece is made up of several layers of words. The words are written in several shades of green and of red ink on paper. Each word is the name of a Luas station. There are mostly green stations on the top, corresponding to the Green line, and red stations on the bottom, corresponding to the Red line. But some green stations appear on the red part and vice versa, the idea being that with the new planned stations they will all be linked. Just above halfway the new stations are written in slightly darker green, this line of writing joins together the two parts of the piece, the green and the red, just as the new stations will join together the Green line and the Red line.

9) Name: Mark Costello Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Liffey Crossing’

The Artist Mark Costello studied architecture at University College Dublin and after graduation worked as an architect in London and in Berlin. Following his return to work as an architect in Ireland he went on to undertake postgraduate studies in urban and building conservation at University College Dublin. Having successfully completed a Masters Degree in 2009 he established his own registered architectural practice in Dublin, Strand Architects, details of which can be viewed at website address www.strandarchitects.eu. Mark was a runner-up in the RPA LUAS 2011 Art Competition and recently his 2011 competition entry ‘Dodder Crossing’ received an Original Drawing Award from the Irish Georgian Society.

The Entry This drawing shows the river Liffey at dusk and features O’Connell Bridge, planned to serve as a Liffey crossing for the LUAS Broombridge extension. The first bridge in this location, known as Carlisle Bridge, was built to the design of James Gandon at the end of the eighteenth century but was renamed O’Connell Bridge in the late nineteenth century after the structure was lowered and widened to suit O’Connell Street. The three stone-faced arches supporting the bridge carriageway are visible in the drawing along with silhouettes of various buildings on the nearby quays. This scene was hand drawn on paper using coloured pencils and then scanned to the digital format required by the Luas 2012 Art Competition rules. The graphic style of the drawing was inspired partly by woodblock prints produced by celebrated Japanese artists such as Kuniyoshi and Hokusai.

10) Name: Michael Barry Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Luas - Adding the Missing Link’

The Artist I have recently finished college in DIT with a degree in spatial (urban) planning. College was where I picked up some design skills and learned the basics of Photoshop etc. Since finishing in DIT I have focussed more on these skills and, while doing a planning internship at the moment, I am picking up some freelance graphic design work here and there while the hunt for something more permanent continues. Mainly because of my background in urban planning, I am very interested in Dublin and how it works as a city. Throughout college we learned a lot about transport systems across Ireland and so knew the importance of the new Luas line. Designing a poster for the line was a great way to bring my two main interests together. I saw it as a way to spread awareness of the significance of the Luas extension and as an excuse to do some cool design work.

The Entry I live and work in Dublin and love the city. When designing this poster I decided straight away that I wanted to incorporate into it some of Dublin’s main attractions and landmarks. It seemed to make sense to focus on where the Luas currently passes and where it will pass, when the extension is constructed. While providing relevant information about the new Luas line, I also wanted for people to have fun trying to name each of the landmarks included in my design.

The theme of the competition was the linking up of the current Luas lines through the proposed extension. This connection will essentially link the north side of the city to the south. My design illustrates this connection, with the north side of the city at the top and the south side at the bottom. I decided to include landmarks near the green line next to those near the red line to highlight the fact that soon, no matter where someone gets on the Luas and where they want to go, it won’t really matter which line they are on. I included a number of other transport modes into my design to highlight the fact that Luas is a part of an integrated transport network that can be used alongside other services including Dublin Bikes, Dublin Bus, the Liffey River Cruise and even the horses Dublin and Smithfield are so famous for.

11) Name: Peter O’Sullivan Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Let's Push Things Forward’

The Artist Peter is a graduate of Dun Laoghaire inst, of Art & Design. He is currently working on a number of design projects with various companies, and also as a portrait painter.

The Entry

My Idea this year was based on the idea of Luas evolving to cope with an ever

changing city and its needs The theme "Luas adding the missing link" gave me

the idea to do a parody of the famous Darwin illustration for the evolution of man,

I drew that image as a group of people walking towards the tram on the platform,

the idea was to go from man's ancestor the monkey right through to a modern

day commuter, thus creating a parody of the original image a typical queue on a

platform and showing an element of progression.

12) Name: Svajune Garnyte Position: Runner-up Entry Title: ‘Luas - The Missing Link’

The Artist I study Creative Digital Media in Institute of Technology in Blanchardstown. I

came to Ireland six year ago and since then I always lived in Dublin. I was always

very interested in Fine Art. Since I started studying Creative Digital Media I

became very interested in Digital Art. I have a keen interest in illustrations, digital

photography, graphic and web design.

The Entry

In my poster I wanted to include all the information about the new planned

extension. I have included the DIT building with students holding the poster with

information how many more students will be accommodated after Luas creates a

new extension. I have also included a man with a poster of available new 800 job

positions, a bird sewing the green and red ribbons symbolising Luas red and

green lines finally being joined together, a child with balloons, one of the balloon

has a logo of Luas, a child beside Luas and other different people in Luas

included in the poster show how L Luas is convenient to different people and a

man holding a watch with “24 minutes” highlights the duration of new extension.