Tracey adds a dash of colour to Galway City’s streets

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Since the beginning of January, electricity boxes in the city centre are being transformed from drab and functional installations into works of art.

As part of a Creative Ireland project, in conjunction with Galway Tidy Towns, 10 Galway artists have been selected to paint 100 of these boxes to bring art to the streets, turning what many would had seen as eyesores into an attraction for locals and visitors alike – that is when visitors can come.

One of those artists is Tracey Moca who has been working on the boxes on Abbeygate Street since last month, and whose work has been catching they eye of many people on one of the city’s main thoroughfares.

“I saw an ad from Creative Ireland to find artists they could sponsor to paint electricity boxers around the city and I went for it,” says Tracey of how she got involved.

“The last year has been tough, but I decided last year that I was going to start doing art on a full-time basis because it’s always been something I loved doing,” she continues.

Tracey, who is also a trained silversmith, had been balancing her art with working in customer care, but having taken a leap of faith, says she was thrilled to take part in a project that brings art to the masses.

Her work, which can be seen outside places like Sally Longs and Electric nightclub, is themed around feet, inspired by the footfall on one of the city’s busiest streets.

“The artists were able to choose the area they wanted so I chose Abbeygate Street. It’s used so regularly by people and I felt like it needed a little bit of TLC.

“I got the idea of using feet as a theme because when you think of Abbeygate Street, you think of all the people that pass through it, so on the boxes, I have all these characters with different feet and different shoes,” she explains.
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.