Ireland is hailed for its artists, musicians, writers and poets. But what happens when the Capital turns on its creative community and no longer offers them a space to create?
Throughout Dublin, clubs, art studios, markets and community spaces are being squeezed out due to redevelopment and impossible rent increases. Some spaces are being demolished completely and lost forever.
Cranes vs Creatives follows stories from The Bernard Shaw, The Dublin Flea Market, Dublin Digital Radio and Club Comfort to find out what is happening to the city. With hotels and student accommodation being built on every corner are we in danger of losing the heart of the city and the people that make it so vibrant and unique?
Cranes vs Creatives will be released on the RTÉ Player on Thursday 25th July as part of the short documentary series, Docland.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Robbie Kitt: R.Kitt is an electronic musician and DJ. He is a campaigner for Give us the Night and is trying to change the licensing laws in Ireland and reframe the conversation around nightlife. He has a monthly show on Dublin Digital Radio.
Sharon Greene: Sharon is an artist (Queens of Neon) and co-founder of the Dublin Flea Market. The flea market ran monthly in Newmarket Square since 2008. The market lost the space over a year ago and is still looking for a new permanent home. They are running a pop-up flea over the summer months in The Digital Hub. The Flea announced on the 19th of July that they were permanently closing the Christmas Flea.
Cian Murphy (DJ Selky) and Jack Colley (Baliboc): Jack and Cian have been running Club Comfort along with their friend Roo Honeychild for over a year. The successful Club night has a welcoming door policy to ensure that nobody is excluded from the party. After losing their space in Fibbers they are finding it increasingly harder to access locations in Dublin. They ran their last night in a rowing club on the outskirts of town.
Johnny Brennan (Bobofunk): Johnny is a DJ and graphic designer. He is a resident DJ in The Bernard Shaw and started a petition to save the outdoor area when the space was refused planning permission. The petition currently has over 24,000 signatures and will be included in the Bernard Shaw’s next planning application.