Joe Caslin is the street artist behind the Georges Street Marriage Equality mural. Hailing from Tullamore, Joe has spent years travelling between Ireland and the UK as part of his ongoing art project Our Nation’s Sons, installing powerful portraits of young men on the sides of buildings, in an attempt to raise awareness for mental health. Joe spoke to Art Editor Sarah Morel about art, activism, and the power of community.
Can you tell me about your current project Our Nation’s Sons? What were your reasons for embarking on this venture?
The project itself is based on the apathy and disillusionment of young men. For eight years I’ve been a teacher, and over the course of those eight years I’ve lost five of my students. There isn’t one household in Ireland that suicide or depression hasn’t touched, and only now are we starting to acknowledge the vastness of the problem. When I started this project five years ago there was barely a debate. In recent times, the conversation has, in a way, been started, but as a society we’re still willing to just sit back and say we have a problem but not do anything about it. There’s definitely a mentality that the government or some other organisation will come in and magically fix the issue. We need to realise that this problem is our problem: it’s in our communities and it’s in our families. It’s a conversation that must be had. The people that I portray are themselves very important in the process of installing a piece; it’s their image going on the wall. I’d go into youth centers or jobs centers, schools- any place where you would be likely to find young men and I find that one lad to be the face of the project. Through this project we’re saying: “look, here’s a regular kid that nobody knows the name of, but look at how he can transform a space, how he can encourage a whole community to have a conversation around him.” We’re talking about an issue that people need to engage with, but at the same time we’re showing society that you can make something beautiful out of something horrific.
How do the Yes Equality murals fit in with Our Nation’s Sons?
I don’t think there was much of a difference between the equality murals and the pieces featured in Our Nation’s Sons . They just worked in tandem with one another. Imagine the number of young men and women in Ireland who feel that they don’t fit in with their community, that don’t have a place in their own family. If that was you, how could you feel a strong sense of emotional well-being? Then imagine the amount of lives that have been taken because these people feel that they don’t belong. I think the campaign was less a campaign for the “right to marry” and more of a campaign for acceptance. By voting yes, we were saying to our neighbours, friends and family “You are a part of our community, and not only that, you are an important, celebrated part of that community.”
Were you expecting the attention that these murals generated?
I had anticipated some attention, but I wasn’t expecting anything like what happened. When I was making it I knew I was making something incredibly dignified; I knew it was important. I knew there had never been an image within Irish culture that shows a same-sex couple in an embrace which showcased pure love. I think up until the referendum, people that were in same-sex relationships felt they had to cover up their tracks for fear that they might be confronted by society. It was an incredibly powerful couple of weeks, given that the story went viral both nationally and internationally. I knew it was going to be big but I never expected it to be global, and it was definitely strange seeing that amount of coverage on a drawing. What was your own reaction to all the resulting controversy? I wasn’t particularly worried to be honest. I received a phone call beforehand warning of the possibility of a high-court appearance. When I created the piece, I knew I was living in a society where the laws were wrong, and that help would come if it was required. If it did come to the point where I was prosecuted and fined, I wouldn’t be long getting a crowd-funding campaign going anyway. When the city council claimed I was in breach of planning permission, I received a heap of emails from solicitors and architectural firms across Ireland offering me their assistance. I then realised that not only myself, but everyone else, knew that this mural was the correct thing to do.
Do you think street art is the most effective medium in creating for a cause?
Yes, I started off Our Nations Sons before exploring street art, using a variety of different avenues in an attempt to start the debate on the issue but it just wasn’t working. Street art in Ireland and indeed, internationally, has evolved. It’s a brilliant medium because it just doesn’t care about whom it engages with or impacts on. I think street art has a very important role to play as it’s a medium that “talks” to all strands of society. Because street art doesn’t exist within the space of a gallery, it’s not confined to a singular audience. This lends a certain vitality to the conversation, keeping it going, even after the piece has disappeared. This is especially important for my work as it doesn’t last for very long, so in order to survive it relies on its audience, through social media and debate.
How does architecture tie in with your work? Is there a reason you pick the buildings that you do?
I don’t use paint, instead I use biodegradable adhesive and paper which allows me to work on historic buildings such as Trinity College, Powerscourt, City Hall, or even that 15th century castle down in Galway. The architecture itself is becoming quite an important part of the piece, and in the future I’d like to start working with more buildings that are more treasured than others, so to speak. I have about maybe 20 different buildings on my hit-list at the moment. The buildings are picked in relation to the theme of Our Nation’s Sons; they’re buildings that are seen but barely noticed, quickly passed by. Here in Ireland we have some amazing architecture, some of it very well hidden and some of it so prolific, we barely notice it. Many of these buildings are abandoned or derelict but they are stunningly made. To give a building a new sense of life, to bring it out into the public’s attention for a short time and then to let it retreat back into hiding, it really adds to the piece I think.
What is the process behind the installation of every new mural?
It takes an average of about two to three months to install a new piece. The first step is always to find who your next portrait will be, but you need to build a relationship with that person before you begin anything else. You can’t just go down, take a drawing and then stick it on a wall, you have to build a certain level of trust. You have to be certain that he is comfortable with being that face on that wall in that city for a period of time. When you’re working with listed buildings, you have to talk to the council, get the consent of the owner, heritage council, monuments committee and whoever, whatever else. All in all, I’d say I spend 10% of my time drawing and the rest is all bureaucracy.
What are your future plans for Our Nation’s Sons? Do you plan to go abroad, beyond the UK and Ireland?
I have potentially a new project coming up in America in the new year, so I’m going to see how that works out. I also have a bit of work coming up next year with Pieta House who I must say are an amazing charity. I’ve worked quite a good bit with them where I’ve done two really nice portraits in the past, so I’ll keep that relationship going. Honestly, all in all, I don’t know where life will take me yet, but at the same time that’s quite exciting.
Featured photo taken by Dáire Cronin
