Mr. Joe Caslin:

The Public Art Mural (Exempted Development) Bill 2022 is an opportunity to explore where street art meets law. The current practice of permission is inconsistent and different depending on postcode and-or council. It is, as described by Dublin City Council, an onerous and time-consuming process. It is convoluted, inscrutable, costly and lacking in input from other artists. The proposed Bill places significance on the concept of cultural merit. Street art fulfils all criteria as an "art" as set out by the Arts Act 2003. As a medium, however, it is not shown the respect afforded to other mediums by current legislation.

As an Irish street artist, I opened the door for the National Gallery of Ireland to acquire artwork representing people who had never before been represented within our State collection: a little person, a person living in direct provision and a drag queen. The work, entitled "Finding Power", highlighted how gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability and socioeconomic status continue to be seen as legitimate reasons to take or withhold agency and how, ultimately, we must find a way to create our own power. That message was seen and understood through the medium of street art.

Street art offers opportunities for reflection, contemplation and, perhaps, even empowerment. That is understood within our education system. The year 2017 was the very first year a question on street art appeared on the leaving certificate art examination paper. Since then, it has featured as a question on five separate occasions. To give context, in that same time, street art has appeared as often as questions on the life and the work of Vincent van Gogh. The young people who study art in our schools, thousands each year, are being shown the value of street art and taught to understand the process and appreciate it as a platform for social commentary and awareness. To celebrate this medium only in theory, in an academic context, while tacitly discouraging contributions to the art form via the current legislation is hypocritical.

It is not only art students who understand the value of these works. On 3 October 2019 plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the former Ard Rí Hotel in Waterford city, a large derelict building that sits high on Ferrybank hill, overlooking the city. Two fire engines quickly arrived at the scene. After observing the fire and the conditions, the front of the building was selected as the preferred point for firefighters to enter and extinguish the fire. That entry point would have damaged the artwork installed on the facade three years prior. A second location deemed to be less destructive to the artwork was agreed on and the fire was successfully extinguished. The artwork had become so significant to the local community that the first responders chose to work from a more difficult position to preserve it.

I would welcome legislation that facilitates artists to work with more freedom and less fear of legal retaliation. Authentic expression leads to cultural impact, and without the ability for artists to express themselves without fear of reprisal, the culture of the arts in Ireland will stagnate and suffer.