Billboard / Vis Art / 16 October - 12 November 2023

The Holy Wells Are Overflowing! by Carmen Quigley

See it on the Project billboard now!

The Holy Wells Are Overflowing! is a drawing that predicts Dublin’s future.

At last, the Wells are going to overflow and reclaim the concrete that has contained them. They’ll burst out from behind their gates or stone structures, and any lost springs will spring forward! The sacred fish will flop onto the footpaths and bless whoever sees them. The healing waters will heal the city, and nature will take back their stones from the buildings.

Holy Wells were sacred pagan sites, visited by people in search of cures and healing.

Over time they were altered to conform to Christian beliefs and convert the native masses.

The need to control and own spaces that need no controlling or owner, is something seen in our city every day. This piece represents a hopeful prediction for an end to the commodification of Dublin.

A photograph of Carmen, a white woman in her twenties, poses in her garden. She is wearing a green jumper and is surrounded by foliage. She is looking into the camera.

Carmen Quigley

Carmen Quigley is a visual artist based in Dublin, primarily making drawings.

Mythology, folklore and storytelling are the foundations of the work. Spinning a yarn with pen and paper.

Follow Carmen on Instagram via @carquig.

Find out more about this year’s Whip it Up! Flip the Deck commissions here!

A photo of the billboard on the blue exterior wall of Project Arts Centre. The billboard artwork is a green and black drawing of water overflowing from Holy Wells. Two surprised figures are surrounded by dense foliage. Fish and strange creatures are appearing from the water. Small details in the drawing reveal the setting is Dublin city. The text reads “The Holy Wells are Overflowing! (Hooray)." There is a blurred figure walking on the pavement in front of it and some bikes locked to railings.

A close-up of an artwork detail on the Project billboard. Text reads "The Holy Wells" against a green and black drawing of water overflowing, dense foliage and fish. On the left is a cap which reads "Kiss Me I'm Irish."

A close-up of an artwork detail on the Project billboard. Text reads "are overflowing! (Hooray)" against a green and black drawing of water overflowing, dense foliage and fish. On the bottom right, you can see the crest of Dublin nestled in the leaves.

A close-up of an artwork detail on the Project billboard. The artwork is a green and black drawing of water overflowing from Holy Wells. A surprised figure is surrounded by dense foliage. Fish and strange creatures are appearing from the water. In the upper left is a cap which reads "Kiss Me I'm Irish."

A close-up of an artwork detail on the right edge of the Project billboard. The artwork is a green and black drawing of water overflowing from Holy Wells. A surprised figure is surrounded by dense foliage. Fish and strange creatures are appearing from the water. In the upper right is a warning sign with an exclamation mark which reads "Warning. Construction In Progress."

A close-up of an artwork detail on the Project billboard. Text reads “-wing! (Hooray)" against a green and black drawing of water overflowing and dense foliage.

A close-up of an artwork detail on the Project billboard. The artwork shows a green and black drawing of the crest of Dublin nestled in dense foliage.

A close-up of an artwork detail on the Project billboard. The artwork shows a green and black drawing of a cat peering out over the bottom frame of the billboard, against a backdrop of dense foliage.

A close-up of an artwork detail on the Project billboard. The artwork shows a green and black drawing of water overflowing from Holy Wells. Fish and strange creatures are appearing from the water. Nestled amongst the foliage are two signs, a street sign for Sráid Thobar Phádraig/Nassau Street, and a warning sign which reads “Warning. Construction in Progress”

A close-up of an artwork detail on the Project billboard. The artwork shows a green and black drawing of water overflowing from Holy Wells. There is a section of a lamppost pillar nestled in dense foliage in the centre, and a cap sitting amongst the leaves on the right which reads “Kiss Me I’m Irish.”

A close-up of an artwork detail on the Project billboard. The artwork shows a green and black drawing of dense foliage and running water. An arm and a leg are coming from the left frame of the billboard, with the hand clasping a goblet to catch some of the water. To the right of this is the light at the top of a lamppost.

A photo of the first two pink poster boxes at the front of the Project building. The posters are for exhibition Long Time We've Been Working and for Carmen Quigley's Whip It Up! Flip the Deck billboard commission the Holy Wells Are Overflowing!

Accessibility

Please do not hesitate to contact us at access@projectartscentre.ie or call 01 8819 613. You can find the latest information about Project’s accessibility here.

Credits

Billboard Images by Ste Murray.

Funding

Project Arts Centre is proudly supported by The Arts Council and Dublin City Council.

Project Arts Centre presents a new Whip it Up! Flip the Deck commission