Ireland is an island nation, with 40% of the population living within 5 km of the coast. We feel the force of storm surges thrashing our coastlines and, almost undetectable by eye, our seas are silently rising. Sea levels are rising globally and flooding our beloved coastlines more frequently, threatening biodiversity, coastal infrastructure and places that are special to us. Some families’ lives have changed forever due to water invading their homes and forcing them to leave.
Línte na Farraige (Lines of the Sea) connects the public visually and tangibly to the risks from future sea levels, through a series of light installations across Irish coastal locations and heritage sites. The light installations are designed by Finnish artists, Pekka Niittyvirta and Timo Aho. The other installations are located at The Spanish Arch, Galway and Wexford Harbour.
The art installation at the Martello Tower, Blackrock Park, consisting of a solar powered horizontal LED line of light, shows the future risks of rising seas and storm surges, in the year 2100 and under a worst-case scenario. The installation is based on future predictions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report AR6, and historic storm surge data in Dublin Bay. Find out more at www.lintenafarraige.com.
The installation demonstrates the need to collectively reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and adapt together to protect our coastlines and communities, from the effects of climate change. This public installation will run at the Martello Tower for a number of months from Wednesday 22nd February 2023. The Council is also running an associated outdoor, public exhibition on the Línte na Farraige project at Moran Park, dlr LexIcon, Dún Laoghaire
