Project Description

Negative Space is an art collective which was founded in 2002. Negative Space is directed and operated by Rachel Macmanus, with collaborating artists.  Negative Space paints murals, and electrical and traffic boxes around Co Clare. Here are some of what was painted so far, from most recent works to the earliest pieces.

 

One the first boxes managed by Clare County Council that we painted is our Garda Box. It’s opposite the Garda Station in Ennis so obviously… Also I owe the Garda one, from way back. In 2019 I made a performance called Night Crawl, when I crawled through Ennis town on a busy Saturday night. I had emailed the Garda station to tell them what I was doing, being the responsible mother citizen that I am. They never replied but on the night a squad car turned up and drive alongside me silently, all the way. Given the physical exchanges that took place and nearly took place I often wonder to what degree things would have occurred had there not been a squad car silently driving alongside up the street. So this was a little thank you from me also. I hope they like it. Since then we have completed the Tree Of Life, located on the side of Vegunz Shop in merchants Square, Ennis. This is a nice spot where people congregate for coffee etc. The tree has a number of threatened Irish animal and insect species in it including the Curlew, the Irish honey bee, the red squirrel, the basking shark, the dragonfly and the monarch butterfly. The tree itself is inspired by the Celtic tree of life, a traditional Irish Celtic symbol.

Then we did the two horses on the old doors under Bindon Street Carpark, Ennis. When we were walking around with Tommy Scott from the council he explained thee doors used to lead under the street directly to the cellars of the 3 story Georgian houses across the road. The carpark had originally been where horses and carriages were kept, by the well off owners of the houses, who would then pass through the doors ad go under the street to access their houses. Rather than going up and crossing the road. I thought his sounded a bit lazy then I remembered the Irish weather.. probably quite a practical option in hindsight.

As I finished these Robert had started on the Maid of Erin electrical box, which he painted a contemporary version of the Maid of Erin onto. If you stand in front of the painting you can see the statue of the Maid of Erin above the roundabout behind.

While he was painting this I did the club bridge electrical traffic box. I was inspired by the secondary school pupils who would stream past every lunchtime into Ennis to get food/ out of school for a bit. So I painted a girl on one side, looking kind of angry, called ‘Don’t tell me to Smile.’ She is obviously in uniform and holds a picture of a smiley in one hand of her folded arms. I painted both figures in monotone so as to move away from specific ethnicities. I described it on the instagram page as ‘This piece is for all the teenage girls out there who are inheriting a broken planet and do not appreciate adults repeatedly telling them to cheer up’. On the other side is a piece called  ‘Not as tough as I act’.  Description: ‘Despite social progress it’s still not easy to be in any way different in a crowd, and admitting to vulnerability is generally still seen as weak and weird. This piece was meant for all the teenage boys out there who are trying to fit in and get by. Hang in there lads.’ On the side of the box, which faces out directly onto traffic, I painted our logo, a smiley face as a reference to the girls painting, and the fluffy soft toy duck that the boy has under his arm again as a reference to his side. This was to increase the appeal spectrum of the box, and to draw attention to it via the bright colours.

Most recently we completed the two large pump boxes located in the Island Carpark, Cloughleigh, Ennis. These are right next to the River Fergus so we painted on local wildlife, a heron and a duck , and used a colour palette with similarities to the locality. These two species of birds can be seen around the river on a regular basis.

From this point on (November 2022) Negative Space comprises of myself Rachel only. The largest work Negative Space has painted yet, the pump house box located in De Valera Park, Ennis was completed in January 2023. The box is 210 inches high x 470inches long x 135inches depth. The image is wrapped around and comprises of two scenes from the life of Tom Steele, (1788–1848), an engineer and political activist from Ennis. I decided on these two particular scenes as one represents an early part of his life- the image of him sitting on what is now known as Steeles Rock, looking across the river towards the house of the woman he fancied (who can be seen standing with her back to the window) and on the side facing New Road there is a scene from his more mature years, when he was known for driving around in a carriage with a hearse on the back, with the words REPEAL (referring to the political agenda of the time to repeal the penal laws) on its side, pulled by 6 horses in plumed headdresses. He would apparently stop and give impromptu political speeches whilst out and about. He was by all accounts an eccentric but generous individual who was well liked. I thought it interesting that such history is right in front of us here in the middle of Ennis, and wanted to being attention to it through the mural.

In May 2023 A new piece was completed on the Lifford Road box which had to be replaced- now featuring a Bean Garda. Also, a tribute to the Ennis Fire Service was painted on a box located on the corner of the Kilrush Road.

Negative Space then completed a large scale mural on the side of glór carpark- of the words ART IS HOPE- inspired by glórs window  installation during covid.

Negative Space then completed another large scale piece in Tulla, on the Old Creamery Road. Titled Flowers and Ghosts. We worked with a local of Tulla on the design, taking in to account that the mural location in on the bend of a busy road.

After this in late summer of 2023 Catalogue Collage was completed, the full painting of a Co Council Container located in Abbey St, Ennis. The design took into account the nightlife and business of the area and was inspired by the colourful graphic layout of supermarket catalogues.  This work was funded by PRISM. Some time later this container was removed on behalf of a local councillor who apparently argued that the container was align up valuable parking spaces.

Negative Space then completed another smaller container in The Old Friary Carpark on behalf of Ennis Tidy Towns, to draw attention to the valuable work they do.

 

 

The list of murals and sites so far:

Tree of Life: Located on side of Vegunz Shop, Merchants Square.

 

Horses: Located on the wooden doors on underside of wall, Co Council Carp park Bindon Street

 

Don’t tell me to smile/Not as tough as I act. Electrical box located on Club Bridge on Harmony Row.

Cabinet replaced by Council in 2024 and repainted as Billy Goats Gruff August 2024

 

Local Wildlife. Electrical boxes located in Island Car Park, Cloughleigh, Ennis

 

Tom Steele. Pumphouse Box located in De Valera Park, Ennis

 

Fire Service Tribute. Corner of Kilrush Road and Clonroad

 

Art is Hope. glór carpark, Ennis causeway link road.

 

Ghosts and Flowers. Old Creamery Road, Tulla.

 

Catalogue Collage, Abbey St Carpark, Ennis

 

Ennis Tidy Towns, Old Friary Carpark, Ennis

 

The Lifford Road traffic box had to be repainted 5 times due to repeated vandalism- originating from a male Garda seen directing traffic, to a female Garda, and finally to a piece featuring the local fish who inhabit the River Fergus. This piece is  Don’t be afraid to swim against the tide, and is located at Lifford Road Electrical box located at traffic light crossing

 

Community Shapers Collection see this link

This is a link to the Negative Space profile with Clare Arts Office