Portuguese Artist In Dublin To Work On Art Installation

Bordalo has a unique approach to creating his masterpieces – he combines painting and sculpture with a result that provides urban art with a new dimension. He is renowned for creating towering 3D animals from a city’s trash and waste. His trash art sculptures are formed using damaged car parts, neglected appliances, televisions, bicycle frames, discarded building materials, chicken wire, fans, barrels, toys, office materials and plastics. Bordalo’s vibrant animal sculptures are currently spread across 24 countries.

It was the idea of Irish filmmakers Trevor Whelan and Rua Meegan, in association with Pull The Trigger Productions and their producer Glen Collins, to bring the Portuguese artist over here.
Trevor and Rua have been filming Bordalo for over two years. The construction of Bordalo’s Irish installation will be filmed over five days for an Irish Film Board funded documentary, entitled 'Bordalo II, A Life Of Waste', which will premiere in July.

Co-directors, Trevor Whelan and Rua Meegan are emerging Dublin filmmakers, each with over 10 years’ experience in the film industry. However, 'Bordalo II, A Life Of Waste' is their debut international documentary. This project was one of four selected by the Irish Film Board from over 400 applications to receive funding from its ‘Real Shorts’ documentary scheme. Pull the Trigger is the production company behind the documentary.
“The purpose of this documentary is to illustrate the motivation and creativity behind the career of trash art sculptor Artur Bordalo," says Trevor Whelan, "with the intention of educating a global awareness about the environmental consequences of our wasteful society and entertaining them through the artistry and ingenuity captured in Bordalo’s works.”

Bordalo has chosen the endangered red squirrel to depict for his Dublin installation on George’s Quay. The Irish Red squirrel is now a species under threat from deforestation and a new report says Ireland's native red squirrel could be wiped out by a virus carried by the grey squirrel where its population is outnumbered six to one.
They are already extinct in Meath, Westmeath, Carlow and Kilkenny. The red squirrel is one of our most charismatic species, found in woodlands in many parts of Ireland and is an animal that warms the hearts of those lucky enough to observe it.
“Bordalo’s work will provide a vibrant addition to our city and help promote positive engagement with art in the public space," says Rua Meegan. "We are extremely grateful to the owners of the Workshop Gastropub for giving us access to such a prime location for this project.
"The Tara Street facing gable end offers the perfect canvas. George’s Quay is one of Ireland’s busiest and most central locations while 45,000 people commute through Tara Street station alone per day”.

This ambitious project is being kindly supported by the Portuguese Embassy, The Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane, Hammond Lane Metal Company, All City, Montana Cans, The Workshop Gastro Pub, Chadwicks, Dublin City Council and Ronan Group.