Property group Iput spends €1m on giant digital screens for art in Dublin

Irish property investor and developer Iput has invested more than €1 million erecting giant digital screens at its newest commercial developments in the centre of Dublin to promote the work of 16 local and international artists.

The screens, which have been licensed by Dublin City Council for 12 months, have been erected at Wilton Square in Dublin 2, beside Iput’s €350 million new office campus, and at the Tropical Fruit Warehouse at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, overlooking the river Liffey. The first exhibitions were launched on Friday – Something in the Water at Wilton, and Where Glass Meets Water at the Tropical Fruit Warehouse.

Iput chief executive Niall Gaffney told The Irish Times that the investments were part of its “placemaking” initiatives and its commitment to “enhance the public realm” in the neighbourhoods close to its schemes.

“This is about giving something back to the city, particularly as we emerge from the pandemic,” Mr Gaffney said, adding that Iput was also planning a writer-in-residence for its the Wilton scheme, artists’ studios and a reinvention of Parsons bookshop, a popular retailer in the area until it closed in 1989, as a not-for-profit initiative.

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“Our screens will provide a prominent platform for artists to display their work and engage with wider audiences,” he said. “As a long-term investor in real estate and in Dublin city, we passionately believe we can harness buildings and spaces as a canvas for art, design and creativity.”

Iput owns Wilton Square, the small park opposite the large office complex it is developing, which is where the screen has been located.

Iput has termed the initiative Living Canvas and it is being run in partnership with Dublin City Council, the Royal Hibernian Academy and the Museum of Literature Ireland. The move follows two years of planning, involving creative production studio Algorithm, with some €100,000 to be spent on it in 2022, Mr Gaffney said.

LED technology

The screens use the latest LED technology and projection mapping, with the curved screen at Wilton Park (21m wide and four metres high) being the largest of its type in Europe exclusively for cultural use. The Wilton screen will operate from the morning until 11pm each night, while the Tropical Fruit Warehouse will run each evening and should be visible all along the quays.

Mr Gaffney said the screens would be used to promote artists’ works and would not feature advertising or promote its own developments. Iput owns the screens and Mr Gaffney said they could be put to other uses in the future.

Wilton Park is a 600,000sq ft campus being developed by Iput, with LinkedIn secured as the anchor tenant. The Tropical Fruit Warehouse comprises 80,000sq ft of office space.

Established more than 50 years ago, Iput owns and manages a portfolio comprising more than 5.2 million square feet, with a value of more than €2.7 billion.