Rialto abuts the centre of the City of Dublin on its south-western side. When Fiona Whelan came to a studio there in 2004 she felt ‘immediately drawn’ to this predominantly working-class neighbourhood. Much of its public housing has since been demolished taking the population of the parish from 6,395 with 44% in public housing in 2006, to 3,639 including 24% in public housing in 2011. Whelan came because she ‘wanted to make art with young people,’ and, since 1980, the area had been home to one of the most progressive youth programmes in Ireland: ‘In an age of inequality where working class communities are oppressed the Rialto Youth Project is working towards bringing about social change providing an integrated youth service based on the needs of young people and in particular those most at risk.’ Whelan had first planned to stay nine months but after a dozen years she is still in Rialto: ‘for me, it’s an energy.’ The exuberance of the young people and the ambition of the artist youth work team have been fed and sharpened through two long projects: What’s The Story (2007-11), and The Natural History of Hope (2012-16).