PROJECT NAME
Opera Square
Mural and AR Installation
ROLE
Art Direction
Graphic Design
Illustration
Motion Design
DATE
2022
This project was developed as part of a collaboration between the Graphic Design Communication and Animation Motion Design classes at the Limerick School of Art & Design. Students worked in interdisciplinary teams and competed for the opportunity to have their work installed as a full-scale mural on the hoarding surrounding the Opera Square construction site. Our group’s proposal was selected as one of the four winning designs chosen for public display.
Working within this competitive framework, our team set out to create an engaging mural and augmented-reality animation that would reflect Opera Square’s core themes of community, heritage, sustainability, and innovation. After collectively choosing a visual direction inspired by the distinctive illustrative style of animator Freya Porritt Wessman, I took on the role of managing the team and coordinating the development of our final solution.
I conducted extensive contextual research, helped refine and articulate the concept, and provided art-direction support to ensure consistency with Freya’s visual approach. My contribution included producing digital illustrations, shaping compositional elements, and assisting with motion design so that both the static mural and AR animation formed a cohesive narrative experience.
Our final concept personifies Limerick as a nurturing figure drawn from the beloved song “Limerick You’re a Lady,” with Opera Square envisioned as the city’s symbolic beating heart. The visual language blends digital papercut techniques, pop-up book aesthetics, and classic tourism poster influences to create a layered, accessible, and story-driven artwork.
Being selected as one of the winning teams allowed our work to become part of the public environment, transforming the Opera Square site into a vibrant expression of Limerick’s character and future potential.
