“What’s the Story – Breaking Down Barriers and Building Stronger Communities” is an art project led by peers from MQI and UISCE in partnership with the different stakeholders from across the community and state involved in the process of the upcoming opening of the pilot Medically Supervised Injecting Facility (MSIF).
This project is about using the arts as a vehicle to document the years of work undertaken in relation to the safer injection facility, promoting a process that explored the fears, hopes and expectations off all the different stakeholders from across the community so we can ask the question how did we get here, and what is the story, or what is OUR story and what does this mean for us ALL going forward.
This project, which included creating a large-scale canvas mural and documentary film, is an opportunity to bring all stakeholders together and continue to build relationships and ensure the different roles from people who for different but valued reasons may have been for, against, had questions or had broader concerns about the impacts of the MSIF are promoted. We are here because of all those stakeholders, and your work to date. We created a safe space for everyone to chart their journey and share their experience, share their story about how we got here and how we can all work as a collective to ensure the service is successful for everyone going forward, and how we can build safe and stronger communities.
This project is a collaboration between UISCE, the wider community, and Merchants Quay. Key stakeholders involved in the creation of this mural will include representative from the local community, business owners, the Gardai, the HSE/Department of Health, and representatives from MQI. A large-scale canvas mural will be permanently installed at Merchants Quay in Dublin to celebrate the journey and promote breaking down barriers and moving forward as a stronger community.
The mural and documentary will be launched at the opening of the MSIF, with the voices of all the different groups represented in both mural, and documentary. In the meantime, enjoy the promo video which gives you a snapshot of the process, and what went on!