Dublin City Council’s ‘Dublin Winter Lights’ officially switched on

Dublin City Council is delighted to announce that the spectacular ‘Dublin Winter Lights’ were officially switched on last night and will remain on from now until January 1st.

16 locations around the city have been transformed with colourful projections and lighting displays, including for the first time, The Spire. In another first there will be a Viking Boat lit up in the Liffey and a new installation in the Liberties’ Bridgefoot St Park. There’s also a walking trail map, meaning you can start at location number one and work your way right through to the end. Why not follow the adventures of Rua the red squirrel as you go, in our new Children’s story book. At each location there is a QR code, which will let you read the next chapter in the story.The entire story and the walking trail map are available on our new website www.dublinwinterlights.ie. Printed copies of the book in English and Irish will be available in every Dublin City Council Library.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy says: “Christmas really is a magical time for everyone and what better way to get you into the festive spirit than to visit this year’s Dublin Winter Lights. Whether you’re 5 or 85 I guarantee you’ll enjoy it. So come on into town, visit the lights and feel the magic this Christmas.”

For ‘Dublin Winter Lights’ 2022, Dublin City Council will have generators that use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as its fuel source for projections and installations. This will be the third year that Dublin City Council has successfully used these type of generators for its events. HVO is an alternative to fossil based diesel fuel.

In addition for 2022, where possible localised battery storage power will be used for some installations. The battery packs will charge during off peak hours, and the stored energy from the batteries will be used during peak hours to power projectors and installations, thus eliminating any additional draw on the grid during peak periods.

Simon Clarke, from Dublin City Council’s Events section says, “The introduction of battery packs as a power source for some installations, in addition to the use of HVO generators, and the commissioning of our enhanced lighting systems on Samuel Beckett Bridge and the light sails on Smithfield Square, confirms Dublin City Councils commitment to facilitating and delivering more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable events in the city centre.”

The power used to light The Spire is comparable to that used in a domestic iron (1800w), a toaster (900w) uses the same power as we’re using on the Millennium Bridge, while Smithfield Sq will be illuminated using the same amount of power as a dishwasher (3000w). A Childens Art Competition for Primary School Children is also taking place as part of ‘Dublin Winter Lights’. All artwork will be projected onto Barnardo Square beside Dublin Castle. 3 winning artworks will receive a prize from the Lord Mayor and their artwork will be used on the Lord Mayor’s Christmas Cards this year.

‘Dublin Winter Lights’ at Merrion Sq Park will also return for the 2nd year running, from December 1st. More details will be announced closer to the time.

The 16 sites are:

Liberties: Windmill Digital Hub
Liberties: Bridgefoot Street Park (New Location)
Smithfield Square (New installation)
Wolfe Tone Square (New Location)
Millenium Bridge
Liffey Viking Boat (New Installation)
Barnardo Square (Children’s Art Competition)
Dublin Spire (19th Nov)
O’Connell Street Monuments
Custom House
Georges Dock (New Location)
Triumphal Arch
Samuel Beckett Bridge
Seán O’Casey Bridge (New Location)
Mansion House (3rd Dec)
Merrion Square Park (1st Dec)

Hydrotreated vegetable oil is:

Made from 100% renewable waste materials
Provides up to 90% reduction in CO2 emissions when compared to normal fossil based diesel fuel, up to 30% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions and up to 86% reduction in particulate matter
Biodegradable in less than 60 days
Odourless so is ideal for use in generators at events

Donal Fallon as part of his “Three Castles Burning” podcast will commission a podcast of the history of the Dublin Winter Lights locations walking trail.

Artist Details

Alan Dunne

Alan is an award-winning freelance illustrator from Ireland. He creates illustrations for children’s and young adult publications, editorial, advertising, postage stamps, museums, restaurants and visitor centres. He uses a mixture of digital and traditional processes as well as the occasional use of paper-craft and his style is considered playful and familiar. Much of his work is focused on carefully researched characters and details. Storytelling and historical research plays a huge role in his work. Before his illustration career, he was a motion designer for RTÉ television for 12 years; he loves introducing motion and animation to his illustration work. He also writes hand illustrates his own comics too. He is a member of Illustrators Ireland, the Association of Illustrators (the AOI), and the Society of Authors. He also lectures part-time at NCAD, Dublin.

Robbyn Gray

Robbyn Gray is an Irish Illustrator currently based in between Dublin and Amsterdam. She is a recent graduate from the National College of Art and Design. Her interest is in creating work that is human focused, ranging from universal to deeply personal experiences through design, illustration, character and storytelling. Robbyn is shortlisted for the 2022 Irish Designers Institute Graduate Awards in Illustration.

Stephen Mac Devitt

Creative director Stephen Mac Devitt is an award winning designer and visual artist with over 18 years experience working in television, film and events. Storytelling is at heart of his work. His two areas of expertise, the creation of experiential spaces and the production of digital content, join new and emerging technologies alongside strong design principles.

Brian Kenny

Brian Kenny is a projection mapping specialist whose work focuses on the transformation of environments through the manipulation of lighting and video technology. His video and projection mapping work spans all formats of presentation from contemporary galleries to large-scale outdoor productions. Founder of Lightscape Visuals.

Alfredo Espeche

Alfredo is an interdisciplinary designer with over a decade of proven experience as a designer working with various creative agencies in specialties such as Motion Graphics and Architectural visualizations.

He is passionate about creating intuitive, simple, beautiful and engaging designs. Originally from Argentina, he is currently based between Dublin & Madrid.

Carla Soriani

Carla Soriani is a Graphic and Motion Designer with masters in Applied Digital Media. Originally from Brazil and currently based in Dublin, her work expresses energy, movement and vibrant usage of colours, a characteristic she takes from the traditional Latino art style.

Afonso Boranga

Afonso Boranga is a multi-disciplinary designer from Brazil and based in Dublin. His work focuses on colour, repetitive patterns and motion. He enjoys working across a multitude of formats, particularly projects which appeal to children.

Lucas Lupo

Lucas Lupo is a Motion Designer working in the area of live events. His constantly growing work seeks to bring static designs to life and also combine them with sounds to make the experience complete. He is a Graphic Designer graduate of UADE, Argentina and currently based in Dublin.

Media Release.
www.dublincity.ie

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