A group of street artists are calling for an end to the "greying" of Dublin by painting over murals.
They're angry at the removal of artworks like the Stormzy mural in Smithfield and the Repeal heart in Temple Bar.
The horseman of Stirrup Lane #Smithfield #horse #urbanhorse #graffiti #mural #twitter
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Dublin City Council deemed them to breach planning rules but the group Subset is proposing a licensing system where public spaces can be used for art.
"At present, the system which governs the production of large format artwork within the outdoor realm is unnecessarily complex, arduous and, we believe, prohibitive to the cultivation, evolution and progression of public art culture... If we are to abide by the existing system, it would be preposterously time-consuming, onerous and troublesome. Therefore... we feel we must take, what we believe will be, a independent revolutionary measure.
A video to promote the Grey Area campaign is going viral.
One member of Subset has told 98FM News the local authority is missing a trick.
"In Dublin it's a lack of understanding of just how beneficial large format artwork can be for the public domain, in terms of tourism and generating revenue but also the general improvement of the space. If you go to cities in Europe and the US and even further afield in Asia... there are multiple different frameworks in place that facilitate rather than prevent this medium of communication."
He adds that a lot of people feel there's a rift between Subset and Dublin City Council. "We're constantly trying to walk the tight-rope of being revolutionary and pushing the matter forward. It's incredibly difficult to not be disrespectful to the governing body because essentially we're sticking up the middle finger. It's difficult not to come across as arrogant but the reason we're behaving this way is because we believe the existing systems in place for us to elicit some form of change would not work. Sometimes you have to break a few eggs if you want to make an omelette."
