Past Projects

Rhona Byrne was the joint winner of the Fire Station Artist in the community Studio Award 2005/6, and completed The Umbrella Project as part of her residency. The umbrella project is an event based participatory art project by artist Rhona Byrne exploring the urban environment, the people, architecture and wildlife that shape the north east inner city area of Dublin.

The event took place on Saturday the 11th March 2006 inviting people to take part in one of six educational and cultural walking tours. Artist Rhona Byrne invited a number of specialists to lead walking tours that engaged with a number of the diverse characteristics that make up this area of Dublin city that is undergoing profound change both architecturally and sociologically.

The tours included an Urban Wildlife Tour, Historical Tour, Architectural Tour, Docklands Area Tour, Multicultural Shopping Tour, New Architecture and Urban Planning Tour. Participants were asked to carry specially designed umbrellas; comprising a visible and informative ‘art project ‘ that moved through the streets of the north inner city.120 people took part on the tours that ran simultaneously around the city. On route the tours were entertained by The ‘ young Dramateers NEICA ‘ performing ‘singing in the rain’ .

Each person had to choose to go on only one tour but were encouraged to share their experience of the tours afterwards at the LAB Dublin City Councils Arts Office and Gallery where refreshments were provided.

The Tours were extensively documented and will be produced into a film and a publication and will be launched on the 9th of November at 6pm 2006 at the LAB Foley St Dublin 1