Urban Sculpture Trail unveils its latest work in city centre

EchoLive.ie, 4 Nov

Urban Mirror is a large table designed to be used by the public,

seating up to fifty people.

Friends Holly donnacliffe, Laura Sullivan and Megan Buckley take a seat

at the unveiling of a new sculpture on Cornmarket Street, Urban Mirror

by plattenbaustudio. Picture: Clare Keogh

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Amy Campbell

ISLAND City, Cork’s Urban Sculpture Trail has just unveiled its newest

sculpture, Urban Mirror by plattenbaustudio, on Cornmarket Street.

The fourth sculpture to be unveiled, Urban Mirror is a large table

designed to be used by the public, seating up to fifty people.

It has a yellow ball on top that provides an atmospheric glow when the

sun sets, inspired by the zebra crossing lights.

fabricated by Sara Murphy and Frank Prendergast of Space Forms, it is

made mainly of stainless steel, which the team chose for its durability

and elegance.

Urban Mirror is part of a unique cultural trail of five contemporary

sculptures popping up around Cork city this year, as part of a Cork

City Council project 100% funded by Fáilte Ireland under the Urban

Animation Scheme, with the aim of bringing art into the everyday life

of the city.

Sentinels on Carey’s Lane, Boom Nouveau on Cook St, and The Face Cup on

the corner of Princes St and Oliver Plunkett St were unveiled in recent

months.

Jennifer O’Donnell, co-founder of plattenbaustudio, said: “We were

really inspired by how people interact with everyday things and the

cultural environment of Coal Quay.

“We spoke to people who both live and work in the area and what shone

through is how invested they are in their community.

“Cornmarket Street, or Coal Quay as many still know it, is lively and

the people are animated so we wanted to create a space for people to

come together - we had the idea of an everyday table that we could

elevate.”

She explained that the designers want people to use Urban Mirror as a

place to come together with different height seats so that children and

adults at one side children can easily sit on a low chair, and at the

opposite end an adult can lean at counter height.

The rounded edges weave in and out so that small groups of people can

create their own corners and it also allows wheelchairs, mobility

scooters and buggies to fit comfortably at the table.

Ms O’Donnell added: “We see ourselves as architects in an art world.

This is the largest public project that we’ve done to date and we are

indebted to Cork City Council for the opportunity.”

The Irish architects, who are based in Berlin, have plans to exhibit a

replica Urban Mirror in Cologne, which is one of Cork’s twinned cities,

as part of the Ireland in Germany 2024 Initiative from Culture Ireland

and the DFA.

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, said: “I’m delighted to see

Urban Mirror unveiled in the heart of the historic Cornmarket St where

it will be an integral part of a bustling area – long established as a

gathering space for locals, urban explorers and visitors.

“It’s a great example of how we can create art in everyday things and

give people the opportunity to use art in their everyday lives, be it

to sit and have a coffee, or take a rest, or play games.

“We are very grateful to Fáilte Ireland for their continued support in

bringing art to life in our city.”

Michelle Carew, Arts Officer, Cork City Council, added: “We are

delighted to see Island City – Cork City’s Urban Sculpture Trail grow

with this fourth installation.

“It will be a focal point for local people, visitors, market traders

and local businesses and will bring people together to savour this

historic area of Cork City.

“We can’t wait to unveil the final sculpture on the trail next month

which has been chosen from an open call process.”

Pictures: Groups come together for Outdoor Sportsfest in Tramore Valley

Park