Professor Sarah Glennie:

With reference to Dublin 8 and how we see ourselves, it is something to which we give much thought and interesting in the context of today's discussion. Our neighbours, St. James's Hospital and the Digital Hub, are centres of new thinking and innovation, of which we see ourselves as part. A very strong identity is coming from the area in terms of it being a place where the future will be imagined, whether by artists, the research being carried out in St. James's Hospital or the work being done in the Digital Hub. As Senator Fintan Warfield stated, there is a very strong history and sense of community in the area and it is very important that it be retained. The potential of creative practice is relevant in that regard. Several of our projects have worked with groups. We encourage students to work directly with community groups such as Bridgefoot Community Gardens or the big ongoing European funded project which is looking at the space of the artist in a local community. A local parade was one of the events to emerge from the latter project. In such environments creative practice is one of the tools with which people understand the sense of place. The critical engagement with space is very often enabled by engagement with creative practice, to which we remain very committed. Dublin 8 is emerging as a very exciting area.