Expressway and Irish Design 2015 collaborate with Orla Kiely, Kevin Thornton, Maser & more

Expressway and Irish Design 2015 (ID2015) have collaborated with celebrated Irish designers to create six unique bus wraps, three of which are already talking points on coaches servicing Expressway inter-city routes.

Irish born Maser is an artist originally from Ireland, now living in the USA.  In the nineties he began painting graffiti on the streets of Dublin, where he earned the respect of other graffiti artists in Ireland and Europe for his unique abstracted style. He went on to establish himself as one of Ireland’s leading visual artists working in the urban environment, painting walls worldwide. In recent years his commercial work has allowed him explore new mediums, including video and large scale 3D installations. Most recently he was a selected artists to produce a film to accompany songs on U2's new album.

These have been designed by top Irish talents - including Orla Kiely, Kevin Thornton and Maser – to mark Expressway’s support as official transport partner for ID2015, the year-long Government-backed initiative promoting and celebrating Irish design in Ireland and internationally.

The concept was developed by Laura Magahy, Executive Chair of ID2015, with the aim of demonstrating the breadth of internationally acclaimed Irish designers in every field.

 

Orla Kiely is an Irish fashion designer based in London. She began her career designing hats, and moved on to design work on handbags and a variety of other items including kitchenware and cars. She worked with several companies before setting up her own business. She has completed design work for Marks & Spencer and Habitat, and a collection of her hats was bought by Harrods. Her designs have been used for a variety of objects, including kitchenware, stationery, furniture, wallpaper and a range of Citroën DS3 cars. Orla’s design for Expressway is one of her original classic prints.

Renowned chef and food designer, Kevin Thornton’s coach, rolled into service last month, while celebrated fashion, homewares and accessories designer Orla Kiely’s coach, is ferrying the crowds during a busy Race Week in Galway.

Kevin Thornton is an Irish celebrity chef, radio and television personality and author.  Thornton's restaurant, in Dublin's city centre Fitzwilliam Hotel, has received two Michelin stars, and he was the first Irish chef to achieve two Michelin stars. From Cashel in Co Tipperary, Thornton is an avid believer in the use of fresh Irish natural ingredients for his culinary dishes – which he treats as art. His design for the Expressway collaboration is one of his signature dishes, Tea Stained Quails Egg with Caviar.

Graphic artist Maser’s design can currently be seen on the Cork to Dublin route.

Landscape and garden designer Diarmuid Gavin, Samuel Beckett Bridge structural engineers Roughan & O’Donovan, and Oscar-nominated animation studio Brown Bag Films, will provide designs for the next three bus wraps in the coming weeks.

The project involves the designers creating a bespoke and personal design utilising the huge canvas of a new 2015 Expressway coach.  Bus Éireann, a major Irish brand, is supporting and promoting Irishness through the design concepts for Expressway.

“The creative expression brought to Expressway demonstrates a unique perspective by the designer, challenging the boundaries of what bus or coach design could be in Ireland,” said Stephen Kent, Bus Éireann Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).

“Our customers and the public are surprised and delighted to see these new designs, which are being exposed to a huge audience as the coaches traverse across the country,” he added.

Laura Magahy, Executive Chair of Irish Design 2015 added: “Through the ID2015 programme we want to highlight the importance of design in enhancing our lives, our environment and our society while promoting Irish design and designers. We are delighted to be working with Expressway on this exciting project showcasing contemporary Irish design in an innovative way across their extensive network.”

 

Thursday, 30th July, 2015