VALERIE BYRNE OUTLINES A SCULPTURE TRAIL IN CORK CITY CENTRE.
Island City: Cork’s Urban Sculpture Trail is a unique trail of five public artworks, featuring work by six artists, for locals and visitors to enjoy. Located on the central island in Cork City, the trail is easily walkable. It animates the city and illuminates Cork’s unique heritage in an arresting, intriguing, and playful way.
Island City presents the best of high-quality contemporary arts practice in the public realm. The artists were invited to reflect on the rich history and heritage of the city centre locations and their resulting artworks offer the audience a fresh perspective on familiar sites. The commissioned artworks are Boom Nouveau by Forerunner (Cook Street); The Face Cup by Fiona Mulholland (The Exchange Building, Princes Street); Sentinels [flew through the ages in the shape of birds] by Niamh McCann (Carey’s Lane); Urban Mirror by plattenbaustudio (Cornmarket Street); Tempus Futurum by Brian Kenny and Winter Sun by Elinor O’Donovan (Triskel Christchurch).
Island City is a Cork City Council project, fully funded by Fáilte Ireland under the Urban Animation Scheme, with commissioning support from the National Sculpture Factory. Fáilte Ireland’s Urban Animation Capital Investment Scheme was a new pilot Capital Grants Scheme for Local Authorities aimed at supporting sustainable tourism development, through public realm and urban animation projects that have potential to transform and reimagine urban centres for visitors and communities. Cork City Council’s proposal to commission a trail of five public artworks for the city centre was selected through an open-call process.
In 2021 Cork City Council was awarded the Urban Animation grant, and in early 2022 Cork City Council engaged with National Sculpture Factory to devise the commissioning framework. An Advisory Panel, comprising invited external curators with specialist expertise in Public Realm Commissioning, was convened including Emmett Scanlon, architect; Mariam Zulfiqar, Director of Artangel UK; Pádraic E Moore, curator; and Sarah Searson, curator. The panel created a shortlist of 12 artists – three artists for each of the four identified locations.
Studio Unthink was appointed to create the visual identity and branding for the project and in spring 2022, the shortlisted artists were invited to make a submission and received a proposal development fee. The final selection of the four artists was made by a Selection Panel, including invited experts Eva Rothschild, artist; Dr Linzi Stauvers, IKON Gallery, Birmingham; Nathalie Weadick (former Director Irish Architecture Foundation); and representatives from Fáilte Ireland and Cork City Council.
In summer 2023, installation began across the four locations and the open call was issued for the fifth commission, a Digital Mapping Projection. A second international selection panel (including Hilary O’Shaughnessy, curator; Aideen Barry, artist; Jarkko Halunen, Director, Lumo Light Festival, Oulu, Finland; and representatives from Fáilte Ireland and Cork City Council) selected two projects: Tempus Futurum by Brian Kenny and Winter Sun by Elinor O’Donovan.
All five artworks were installed by December 2023 and the Island City trail was officially launched by Lord Mayor Cllr Kieran McCarthy with an event held in Triskel Christchurch on 12 December, including a public conversation with the artists, facilitated by Sarah Searson.
In April 2024, we saw the conclusion of Tempus Futurum by Brian Kenny, which ran from December 2023 – April 2024, and we’re looking forward to the launch of Winter Sun by Elinor O’Donovan in October 2024.
Over the course of 2024, Cork City Council will deliver a comprehensive and accessible engagement programme for the trail in partnership with Arts & Disability Ireland, including bespoke wayfinding navigational tools and audio descriptions, a walking tour app designed by Studio Unthink, and guided walking tours, in collaboration with Sample Studios, which will offer audiences a wide range of additional materials, such as audio interviews with the artists, historical contextual information about the sites, and information and images about the fabrication of each artwork – providing greater opportunity to engage meaningfully with each artwork. For further details on the artworks see: corkcity.ie/islandcity
1. Forerunner, Boom Nouveau(2023); Cook Street
Boom Nouveau mimics the form of tangible, everyday urban street furniture – the lamppost. The name refers to the rupture of the artwork emerging from the ground, with a nod to the influence of the craftsmanship of art nouveau. Created using historic methods of production, with familiar building materials alongside hand-blown glass and cast bronze, the sculpture shines a light on the city and encourages people to look up and explore the architecture as they navigate.
2. Fiona Mulholland, The Face Cup (2023); The Exchange Building, Princes Street
The Face Cup is a celebration of Cork’s rich prehistoric heritage. An artwork of large-scale sculptural reliefs, it is based on a collection of exceptional Bronze Age ceramic artefacts circa 3,800 years old, excavated by Cork archaeologists. A museum for an outdoor space, it plays testament to the rich history and hospitality of the building and area. The artwork is handmade from Styrofoam and fiberglass and finished in a gold effect.
3. Niamh McCann, Sentinels [flew through the ages in the shape of birds] (2023); Carey’s Lane
Sentinels is a lane-length sculptural piece, influenced by the architecture, geography and migratory history of the street, a nod to the old and the new. The work, which is made with sustainable materials, is fixed above head height and held by the simple image of a seagull, perched atop a neon strip, sentinel-like. Intriguing and playful, the work animates the lane and responds to the shifting shape of the city.
4. plattenbaustudio, Urban Mirror (2023); Cornmarket Street
Urban Mirror is a beautifully crafted large table with an atmospheric globe light that provides a sculptural pavilion in a cultural corner of the city and a warming glow when the sun sets. A space intended to be used by the public to talk, eat, play and interact, it was inspired by the street’s vibrant history as a marketplace. Made of durable and playful stainless steel, the freeform table can seat up to 50 people.
5. Brian Kenny, Tempus Futurum (2023); Triskel Christchurch
Tempus Futurum echoes the adage, “a society thrives when elders plant trees under whose shade they’ll never rest.” It delves into the past, present and imminent future, exploring human impact on the environment. Scenes link human actions to nature’s fate, while 50 children envision the building’s future, sparking hope. The interactive finale reflects sustainability, showcasing the link between human choices and nature’s balance. It is a reflection on the city’s growth, urging consideration of today’s impact on tomorrow’s landscapes.
Valerie Byrne is Public Art Manager at Cork City Council.
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