Poetry in Motion as Limerick Paint the Town

Limerick 2020 Makes its Mark in Paint the Town Initiative – Picture above by Piquant Media

Look to the walls, walks and windows of Limerick and you will find a city that has a clear message – ‘We Are Culture.’

The streets of Limerick City have become a canvas as part of the bid process to be named European Capital of Culture 2020.

Paint, words, flags and banners reflecting the city’s enthusiasm and energy for the bid decorate Limerick ahead of the visit of the jury on Tuesday, July 12^th.

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Artwork on the Dock Road. Picture by Piquant Media.

The jury will arrive in Limerick to be greeted with a visual feast of murals and stencils that capture the excitement in the city as they prepare to make their final decision.

Local designers Piquant Media have been working with the Limerick2020 bid team to express the identity and creativity of the bid on the city’s street. They teamed up with grass roots poetry group Stanzas to create a 3D poetry trail.

A 3D quote from the work of eight young poets, about life in the city, has been placed at an unexpected location. Get involved and explore the poetry trail. A map will be available in the Limerick Magazine from Friday, July 1st and also on the Limerick2020 website.

Citizens are being encouraged to take a moment to contemplate the poetry as it appears. You can find out more about the poets and read their poems in full on the Limerick2020 website which is linked at the bottom of this post.

As part of the citizen engagement process Limerick2020 has popped up with a number of print workshops at festivals and events to ask people to share their hopes and aspirations for Limerick2020. Young and old took part and we are sharing these aspirations as banners and paper stencils to enrich the visual identity of Limerick with their words.

Victoria Brunetta from Argentina recently relocated to Limerick and her banner reads: ‘Mi Ciudad, Mi Espejo’, meaning ‘My City, My Mirror’. Victoria believes that the city is a reflection of the people who live there.

Artwork near People’s Park in Limerick. Picture by Piquant Media

‘Piano and art in the city’, by 12 year old Julia Quinn features on another stencil in O’Curry Street. Julia hopes that Limerick2020 will bring music and art to life in the city.

The buildings awaiting re-development on Rutland Street and Ellen Street have been re-imagined, featuring a bright and colourful message – ‘culture is where we are, culture is where we are going.’

In a massive display of support, businesses, shops, schools, galleries and offices all around the city have their Limerick2020 window vinyls as pride of place in their windows. Local sign maker Tom Collins has been inundated with requests for this simple but effective means of support.

The boardwalk at Harvey’s Quay boasts one of the most picturesque vistas in Limerick and Limerick 2020 has raised its flags and banners to add to the vibrancy and excitement of this public space. Keep an eye on ‘Poor Man’s Kilkee’; the well known spot on the River Shannon as it is set to become home to a map of Europe with a difference.

We are on the last leg of the bidding journey and we welcome you to show your support for the bid by volunteering to be part of the events and festivities planned for the jury visit on July 12^th.

For the latest on the bid follow @limerick2020 on Twitter or like Limerick 2020 European Capital of Culture on Facebook. #weareculture.

To find more information about Limerick2020 click here for their website.

 You can register to volunteer to be part of the events on www.limerick2020.ie/volunteer.

For more news from I Love Limerick about Limerick2020 click here.