The Artwork
Title: Spreag, 2022
Artist: Deirdre Frost
Oil on Wood
244x180cm
Commissioned by DCU Staff
Artist Statement
The buildings in this work were chosen from across the three campuses of Dublin City University - Glasnevin, St Patrick’s, and All Hallows, with consideration being given to their use by people from across the spectrum of the university’s many areas of study. The selected buildings form the basis of this artwork, and they are treated in a playful manner, brought back to their essential shapes and opened up, reminiscent of architectural models. This chosen treatment is intended to highlight the fact that they are man-made conceptions, and it is intended that the viewer be put in the creative mind of the designer, empowered to have a view that they themselves can manipulate these staged model-like buildings, and what happens within.
The formal structure of the buildings echo the formal structure of coursework in academia, yet this structure functions as a framework, or stage-set, ready for action, enabling a variety of new connections, unexpected discoveries, and narratives to unfold within this. Glimpses within the buildings show lush growth and greenery bursting through in places, exploratory vines, the tree-lined sports grounds which are as equally enjoyed by members of the public as university members, and vibrant artichokes thriving in the foreground, a nod to the farming past of the university, and it’s care of all that grows.
Deirdre Frost, 2022