Making Walls Talk
Making Walls Talk was a youth-led public art and placemaking initiative co-developed by A Playful City and SWAN Youth Service, with support from HubSpot.
Born during the COVID-19 pandemic, the project responded to a pressing need for meaningful youth expression and visibility in Dublin’s North East Inner City.
Over five carefully designed stages, young participants explored identity, mental health, creativity and their relationship to place-expressing both the challenges of the lockdown, such as stress and mental health struggles, and the more hopeful emotions of pride and excitement about their community and future.
We asked: “If you could make the city talk, what would it say for you?”
Beginning with workshops on play and public space led by A Playful City, the group moved through personal reflection with The Soar Foundation, creative writing sessions with spoken word artists Stephen James Smith and FELISPEAKS and illustration workshops with artists Steve Simpson and Saray Sanchez. These collaborations resulted in 36 micro-art pieces across the NEIC—small but powerful interventions that gave physical form to the young people’s voices.
The project culminated in a striking large-scale mural co-created with Epoch Collective.
Importantly, participants were trained not just in artistic techniques, but also in community engagement, public consultation, and navigating local authority permissions—equipping them with real-world skills to reclaim public space. Through this process, they transformed blank walls into canvases for dialogue, dignity, and pride.
This simple question—echoed through poetry, illustration and paint—became the foundation for a new model of youth-led placemaking. Making the Walls Talk now stands as a replicable template for how co-creation can shape both place and perception.
A 5 Step Process in Making Walls Talk
Play & Place Workshop
A Playful City introduced the project themes—identity, mental health, and urban space—through interactive sessions on play and public space.Self-Reflection
With The Soar Foundation, participants explored emotional wellbeing, social pressures and personal growth through facilitated conversations.Spoken Word & Poetry
Participants crafted poems about their voice, identity and community with spoken word artists Stephen James Smith and FELISPEAKS.Visual Storytelling
Young people transformed their words into visual art with illustrators Steve Simpson and Saray Sanchez, resulting in 36 micro-art street pieces across the city.Collaborative Mural
The process culminated in a large-scale mural with Epoch Collective, combining poetry, illustration and public voice into a lasting neighbourhood artwork.
