URBAN EXPRESSION AND DEPRESSION

Street Photography That Highlights Urban Life

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Dublin 7

JENNY’S CHAIR BY ALBENTY AT MONTPELIER HILL

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HAS SURVIVED SINCE 2016

Originally, when I first published photographs of this artwork, I said that I believed that it was dedicated to someone named Jenny. Today I discovered that title is “Jenny’s Chair”.

Albenty is an Irish street artist who is known for his colourful and playful murals. He often depicts animals, plants, and other natural elements in his work, and his pieces often have a whimsical or humorous touch.

Albenty’s work can be found all over Dublin, and he has also exhibited his work in galleries in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Albenty is a self-taught artist who began painting graffiti in the early 2000s. He quickly developed his own unique style, and his work has been praised for its originality and its ability to brighten up the urban landscape. Albenty is also known for his commitment to social justice, and many of his murals address issues such as poverty, homelessness, and environmentalism.

In addition to his street art, Albenty also creates prints, paintings, and sculptures. He has collaborated with a number of other artists, including Maser, Aches, and Subset.

Albenty’s work has been featured in a number of publications, including The Irish Times, The Guardian, and Vice.

[Note: I have been unable to fully verify the information relating to Albenty]

  • JENNY'S CHAIR BY ALBENTY AT MONTPELIER HILL [THIS HAS SURVIVED SINCE 2016] 002
  • JENNY'S CHAIR BY ALBENTY AT MONTPELIER HILL [THIS HAS SURVIVED SINCE 2016] 001

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NINE STOREY APARTMENT HOTEL

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IS ABOUT TO BEGIN ON CAPEL STREET

More than twenty years ago there was a Head Shop at 164 Capel Street but it was set on fire. To quote from court documents: “The facts of the case were that the appellant and another man deliberately set fire to a head shop premises called Nirvana situate at 164 Capel Street, Dublin 1, in the early hours of the 12th of February 2010. The shop specialised in the sale of psychotropic substances which, though now illegal, were legal at the time. in the sale of phototropic substances which were legal at the time. The fire also spread to the two premises on either side of Nirvana, namely to a premises called The Souvenir Seeds Store at 164A Capel Street, which also sold then legal psychotropic substances, and to Utopia at 163 Capel Street which was a sex shop.”

This photograph was taken towards the end of 2022 however nothing really happened until a week or two when a demolition crew arrived to demolish the Dublin Working Mens Club at 33-36 Little Strand Street. I must admit that I was totally unaware of the the building and am not sure if it is being cleared to allow the construction of the new hotel.

[UPDATE] I checked the planning permission documents and the footprint of the hotel includes 162-164 Capel Street and 33-36 Strand Street Little []

In September 2021 An Bord Pleanála disagreed with Dublin City Council’s contention that there were too many hotels in the city centre and awarded permission, following an appeal, to Ringline Investments for a nine-storey, 142-bedroom hotel for Capel Street, in Dublin. The appeals board decision overturned a ruling by the City Council to refuse planning to Ringline for the hotel after expressing concerns about the “existing over-concentration” of hotels in the area.

Some objections were due to the fact that about 2,150 hotel rooms have been permitted in recent years within 350 metres of the site on Capel Street.

Apartment hotel group City ID recently announced the acquisition of a site on Capel Street in Dublin. The latest addition to its brand is the next step in its wider growth strategy across Europe and beyond. Originally the site received full planning permission for 142 bedrooms with food and beverage and meeting facilities and once developed will extend to approximately 5,471 sq m / 58,890 sq ft over 9-storey over basement.

My understanding is that the complex now under construction will operate 104 apartments with a diverse room mix. All apartments will feature fully equipped kitchens and living spaces, suited for short and long stays. The ground floor public area will include an open lobby, a deli, and a bar.

The acquisition of Capel Street adds to its three locations in central Amsterdam and to its latest site in central London’s Victoria district. Together with pension provider APG and Aware Super, City ID is implementing its strategy of international growth. The goal is to invest more than € 1 billion over the next five years to grow its international platform of apartment hotels across major European cities.

A NEW CO-LIVING PROJECT ON MOUNTJOY STREET STREET

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BLACK CHURCH VIEW

For many years there was a derelict building between Paradise Place and Mountjoy Street and beside it is the famous Black Church.

It is now being redeveloped as the “Black Church View” project, which will consist of 114 shared accommodation units, a café, gym, co-working space and indoor and outdoor recreation and amenity spaces.

Below is a somewhat idealised description of co-living.

Each floor is seen as a single community and private resident rooms feed into shared residential communal facilities. According to the developer apartment sizes will be well in excess of the minimum floor area required under current planning regulations.

Co-living is a residential community living model that accommodates three or more biologically unrelated people living in the same dwelling unit. Generally co-living is a type of intentional community that provides shared housing for people with similar values or intentions. The co-living experience may simply include group discussions in common areas or weekly meals, although will oftentimes extend to shared workspace and collective endeavours such as living more sustainably. An increasing number of people across the world are turning to co-living in order to unlock the same benefits as other communal living models (such as communes or co-housing), including “comfort, affordability, and a greater sense of social belonging.”

Co-living as a modern concept traces its origins to shared living models of the 19th and 20th centuries such as tenements in the UK, boarding houses in the US, and chawls in western India, yet ancient forms of communal living such as the longhouse date back thousands of years. Its contemporary form has gained prominence in recent years due to a combination of factors including increased urbanisation rates, a lack of affordable housing options, greater rates of disability requiring group home or assisted living arrangements, and a growing interest in lifestyles not dependent upon long-term contracts.

THIS MURAL IS PROMOTING EYES GUTS THROAT BONES A BOOK BY MOIRA FOWLEY

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CHANCERY STREET BESIDE FEGAN’S 1924 CAFE

According to Google Maps Fegan’s Cafe is currently closed which is a pity.

Moïra Fowley lives in Dublin with her girlfriend and her two daughters. Half French and half Irish, she is the author of four critically acclaimed YA novels. Eyes Guts Throat Bones is her first book for adults.

What will the end of the world look like?
Will it be an old man slowly turned to gold, flowers raining from the sky, or a hole cut through the wire fencing that keeps the monsters out?
Is it someone you love wearing your face, or a good old fashioned inter-dimensional summoning?
Does it sound like a howl outside the window, or does it look like coming home?
This startling and irresistibly witty collection from the phenomenally talented Moïra Fowley is an exploration of all our darkest impulses and deepest fears.

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