In 2021, I made a proposal to Crawford Art Gallery that I should engage with the building on the cusp of its redevelopment through a two-week desk residency somewhere in the non-public-facing areas of the building. The proposal was accepted and funded by Drawbridge (MTU’s drawing research hub). My initial proposal is below. Over the course of a year, the project unfolded to form the basis of my work for the MA in Art & Process(MA:AP) at MTU CCAD, 2022. View that work by clicking on the button below.
In 2023 a selection of my research photographs from the residency were included in an exhibition at Crawford called SITE OF CHANGE: Evolution of a building. View that work by clicking the button below.
Initial proposal
The connection between the Crawford Art Gallery and The Crawford College of Art and Design underpins this proposed project. The link between these two institutions provides the potential for enriching experiences for patrons of the gallery as well as for students of the college. I am currently pursuing a master’s degree at MTU CCAD where the history of The School of Art in Cork falls within my field of research interests. The idea behind this proposal was first set in motion by a number of encounters I have had with former students, who attended The Crawford School of Art when it was located in Emmet Place. During my conversations with these people, I have asked for memories of the building itself. Through their recollections, I have begun to build a mental map of the space as it was when it housed the School of Art. This map (or ‘reconstruction’) of the building is based on subjective memories and impressions of how the space functioned in the late 1970s. I am particularly interested in 1979, the year the School of Art decamped to Sharman Crawford Street. It was a moment of dramatic change and caused an important shift in the way the building functioned. The timing of this project is significant. As the building is made ready for the upcoming renovation, it will be necessary to move things around internally in a way that hasn’t happened in many years, for example, the entire collection will need to be moved out and into storage. This disruption will provide more opportunities than usual to come face to face with residues of the building’s past lives. At the heart of my work, there is often a deep interest in the history of certain objects or places and a desire to tell an alternate story, an ‘other’ history. There is often some detail hidden within the provenance of an historic object which, once revealed, can bring it new life and meaning. Through my work I want to bring the viewer into contact with a story which ignites in them a sense of wonder about an object (or a place).
During this project I intend to put together a series of photographs. The location of some shots will be informed by the conversations I have had with past students. Other images will be of material residues from the past lives of the building. Think of generations of plumbing which have left behind layers of antique pipes with no function, or the remnants of a doorway, now blocked up, which tells of a previous route through the building. Drawing will form an important part of my research as I work my way through the building. Spaces of special interest will be those which have remained unchanged for a long time as well as those which are about to change as a result of the renovation.
This residency is funded by Drawbridge, the drawing research network at MTU CCAD. Keep an eye on their Instagram page and website for further updates.
