Portobello explored the shifting dynamics of Portobello plaza amid plans to demolish this vital public space and replace it with a 178-bed hotel. The hotel’s scale threatened to overdevelop the site, transforming a once-communal plaza into a private courtyard, restricting access and limiting local activities. Portobello had been central to the Irish skateboarding scene, fostering community interaction since 2004. Despite a ban, the plaza remained Dublin’s most popular skate spot, with locals advocating for its legitimisation. However, no progress was made in revisiting the ban.
Set against the backdrop of the pandemic, the project reflected broader public space issues. Calls for amenities went ignored and replaced by fences that sterilised the area. The loss of this space signalled a disregard for subcultures that enriched urban life and foreshadowed similar neglect in other areas. The series captured a community’s struggle against change and highlighted the consequences of sidelining public spaces and misunderstood subcultures.