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| Photograph by Colleen Bartley 2007 |
Cork Harbour Project Laboratories 1 & 2 2007 - Sirius Arts Center
The idea
and aims of this project are:
1. To create a hothouse environment for local, national
and international artists to develop ideas to create work relating to the Cork
Harbour area.
2. To create links between different people, artists,
scientists, naturalists, groups, organizations and bodies working in different
areas and fields locally and internationally.
3. To engage with the public through artistic
intervention, on issues regarding the environment of the Cork Harbour area. The
environment here should be taken at its broadest sense to include the built,
natural, economic, industrial, social, historic and cultural heritage.
'Cork Harbour Project' is a developmental project designed
to bring together local, national and international artists, with scientists,
naturalists, activists, environmental groups etc. from the Cork harbour area in
a 'Laboratory' setting. We would see this as a symbiotic relationship building
experiment. Artists can learn about the issues affecting the Cork Harbour area
and then develop informed area sensitive work for our exhibition program and
other sites around Cork. At the same time idea based developmental groups can
learn how art can play a meaning full role in raising awareness of issues
through unusual ways of engaging with the public.
The size and unique mixture of environments, which
constitute Cork Harbour provide a perfect backdrop with which to develop a
project of this type. The combination of different and opposing environments
creates a hot-bed of investigation for visiting and local artists. Many of the
issues are well advanced through community groups and organizations creating a
contextual engagement which is already underway.
To this end this project will put together a series of
exhibitions, events, lectures, performances, workshops, publications and
seminars, to be realized during 2008. Through a series of ‘Laboratories or
Meetings’ which, will take place during 2007. They will consist of groups of local and
international artists, environmental groups, activists and organizations,
community groups and individuals coming together, staying, working and meeting
at Sirius in the artist in residence apartment.
The working groups or Laboratories will take place in
three separate stages lasting one week each. Over the one week period the
artists will have the chance to share ideas and their practice with each other,
meet representatives from different groups and organizations, visit sites in
Cork Harbour, attend meetings and events and participate in workshops designed
to explore and come up with strategies for engaging with the public. The format
for the event / events is open at this stage to allow for the development of
the ideas through the laboratories.
Other individuals will also be invited to take part in these
group laboratories / meetings, such as local naturalists, scientists and
historians. It is also envisaged that the documentation collected as a result
of the ideas formulated would be curated into an exhibition that would take
place during 2007.
The work produced through this
project will be site specific and we are exploring a number of possible
alternative venues, such as the library, the pier & park in Cobh town,
local schools, the Art Haven Gallery in Crosshaven as well as the Sirius Arts
Center itself.
This is an opportunity for the Sirius Arts Center to
develop an innovative project which will result in engaging artists locally,
nationally and internationally along with environmental and community groups,
to explore ideas for the creation of exhibitions, events, lectures,
performances, publications, seminars, workshops, lectures etc. to be realized
in 2008. The Laboratories will explore the boundaries of contemporary art practice,
and will result in works and projects which will engage the public in direct
and interesting ways and provide an international working context for the
artists involved.
Contact: Sarah Iremonger
Sirius Arts Center
Cobh, Co. Cork
021/4813 790 cobharts@iol.ie
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