Ahead of their nationwide sleepout last Friday (October 11), Focus Ireland unveiled a new mural in Temple Bar as part of their Shine a Light Campaign.

The artist behind the project Sarah Bracken Soper - who has previously painted a lightboxes and installations around the city centring on societal and climate issues - spoke to Hot Press about the meaning behind the mural. "The image is of two women embracing but one of the women, the details are gone, it's almost like there is a vacant space there," she said. "It is to represent the people that are experiencing homelessness that we don't see.”

Taking pride of place on Curved Street, on the wall of the Button Factory, just a few doors up the Focus Ireland Coffee shop, the mural marks the first issue related large-scale piece in Temple Bar since Maser’s controversial repeal mural on the side of Project Arts Centre. 

Artist Sarah Bracken Soper Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

“This mural really struck me when I saw it and connected with my heartstrings," Focus Ireland LEAP ambassador (Lived Experience Ambassador Programme) Kelly Ann Burke noted.  "Focus Ireland was that hug that I needed when myself and my family had nobody. Campaigns like Shine a Light by Focus Ireland have really been a life changer for me and my family when we were homeless years ago, we have stability now we have security, we can close our door at the end of the day.”

Focus Ireland LEAP Ambassador Kelly Ann Burke - Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

While homeless figures are frequently in the media, hidden homelessness is often not taken into account. Something that Jessie Wiesblatt of Focus Ireland hopes this mural will bring to our attention. "We all hear the reports of rising homelessness figures and there are certain aspects of homelessness that are visible, but what most people don’t realise is that the numbers reported on a monthly basis only reflect the number of people accessing emergency accommodation.

"There are a lot of contradictory statements and misunderstandings in our current conversation about homelessness but at the centre of it all are people living alongside us, often unseen, in our society and communities who urgently need us to take action and support them.”

“This mural, and the commitment of the thousands of people sleeping out against homelessness tonight, shows that we stand in solidarity with those affected," Wiesblatt continued. "It is an issue that shouldn’t exist in our society today, and we should be doing everything in our power to bring homelessness to an end."

If you would like to be involved in Focus Ireland Shine a Light campaign, there is still time to donate. Visit shinealight.focusireland.ie for more information.