Regular readers of this blog, or indeed, residents of Edinburgh, will no doubt remember the moment they laid eyes on Joe Caslin’s ‘Our Nation’s Sons’ artwork in Edinburgh in April 2012. The enormous paste up murals that appeared in the city’s historic Cowgate area were a drastic change from the traditional outlook. For a reminder – check out the original article here.

Joe Caslin’s work in the Cowgate, Edinburgh

As a continuation of the project, Joe returned to Ireland to install his work at Achill-henge, a modern Stonehenge-like structure off the northwest coast of County Mayo, Ireland. A stunning video charting the installing of the illustrations really captures both the idyllic setting as well as the powerful illustrations.

Joe’s latest work at Achill-henge, Ireland

Joe says of the work, “as a nation we have pushed a significant number of our young men to the very edges of society and created within them feelings of neglect and apathy. It is now time to empower these young lads and give them a sense of belonging.”

I cannot fix the complex problems of apathy and disillusionment by simply sticking a drawing to a wall. However, I can create something more meaningful than any bureaucratic promise and generate a more positive social impact than many published articles, political broadcasts or speeches.”

Check out the video of the installation here – definitely worth a watch to fully appreciate this project. Our Nation’s Sons Achill-Henge from Joe Caslin on Vimeo.

Our Nation’s Sons is set to continue throughout the coming year, will be interesting to see where these guys spring up next.

UKB

Image and video from www.joecaslin.com