‘Yup D12’ art mural project creates a positive connection

A positive community connection is the basis of the latest civic art mural to be displayed this week in Drimnagh’s Brickfield Park. The “Yup D12” art piece is a collaboration project involving two Dublin 12 youth services.

Carried out by the St John Bosco Youth Centre (Bosco) in partnership with the Clay Youth Service, the project looked to bring the Crumlin and Drimnagh youth services together to explore their community from a Dublin 12 perspective.

The colourful art piece contains a wide range of images, including the local canal and the Luas, while also including a silhouette representation of activities such as boxing, football, watersports and the arts.

These images represented what the young artists recognised as essential aspects of Dublin 12, while also directly connecting the localities of Drimnagh and Crumlin.

Taking centrepiece within the mural is the statement “Yup D12”, which provides a very positive and young person relevant thumbs up to the community of Dublin 12.

Michelle Moore, Youth Worker, from the Bosco, explained the process behind the latest colourful instalment on the boundary wall at the southern side of the Drimnagh park.

Members of the youth service who worked on the mural

“This mural project provided the opportunity to bring two youth services together to explore the commonalities Drimnagh and Crumlin share as part of the larger Dublin 12 community. While providing an opportunity to celebrate so many similarities, this project also allowed the participants to begin deconstructing the barriers they perceive to exist between Drimnagh and Crumlin,”she said.

This mural is the fourth such project within Drimnagh since the onset of the pandemic. According to Stephen Sharpe, the project leader of the St John Bosco Youth Centre, such projects are an effective way of providing a voice for young people within their communities.

He said: “Historically, visual arts have been an important tool of communication for young people in the St John Bosco Youth Centre.

“Since the arrival of Covid19, our youth service has engaged local young people in several community art projects that allowed these young people a point of expression.

“These projects, designed and painted by young people, represented the difficulties faced by young people during the pandemic, appreciation of Ireland’s front line workers, the importance of community cohesion and of course, the latest being a celebration of the larger community of Dublin 12.”