Focus Ireland has installed an immersive telescope in Dublin city centre as part of a new campaign designed to illustrate the scale of child homelessness in Ireland.
Created by The Brill Building for the charity’s annual Shine-A-Light campaign, the specially adapted Dobsonian telescope has been installed in St Patrick’s Park and allows visitors to view the stars above Dublin regardless of the time of day or weather conditions.
The installation is built around the comparison that there are now more children experiencing homelessness in Ireland than stars that can typically be seen in the night sky with the naked eye.
According to the latest Department of Housing figures, cited by Focus Ireland, 5,659 children are currently living in emergency or temporary accommodation. By comparison, around 2,500 stars are estimated to be visible to the naked eye under good rural dark-sky conditions.
The campaign uses that contrast to make the scale of child homelessness more tangible and to highlight the thousands of children whose experiences can often remain largely unseen.
The telescope forms part of an integrated campaign supporting Focus Ireland’s Shine A Light sleep-out, which takes place on Friday, October 9.
The same creative idea is being extended across large-format digital out-of-home advertising.
Media planning and space were negotiated by Talon Ireland, led by Aoife Hudson, with support from Bauer Media Outdoor, Global Media, Brightside Media and Orb.
The telescope and supporting media assets were developed by Brill Building’s in-house innovation team, Peter Snodden and Logan Champ, with logistical support from junior creative producer Kiara Murphy.
Science educator and Focus Ireland Shine A Light Ambassador Dr Niamh Shaw unveiled the installation.
“Astronomy has a unique way of helping us understand scale. We use the night sky to make sense of distances, numbers and our place in the universe, and this installation does something similar for a very real issue here in Ireland,” she said.
“When people hear that 5,659 children are experiencing homelessness, it can be difficult to truly grasp what that means. By comparing that figure to the number of stars visible to the naked eye, the scale of the challenge becomes much more tangible.
“What makes this experience so powerful is that it connects science, technology and social awareness in a way that encourages people to stop, reflect and engage. Behind every statistic is a child, a family and a story.”
The timing of this year’s Shine A Light event also coincides with the expected peak of the Draconid meteor shower on October 9.
According to Pat Dennigan, CEO, Focus Ireland the comparison was intended to bring greater visibility to the experiences of children living in emergency accommodation.
“The fact that there are more children experiencing homelessness in Ireland than stars visible to the naked eye should give us all pause,” he said.
“Behind that figure are thousands of children whose lives are being shaped by the absence of something most of us take for granted: a home.
“Shine A Light gives people the opportunity to be part of the solution. By taking part in the sleep out, fundraising and shining a light on homelessness, people can help Focus Ireland support children and families experiencing homelessness and work towards a future where every child has a home.”
The installation is supported by SISK and will remain in St Patrick’s Park as part of the build-up to Shine A Light.
