Cork Sculpture Factory continues to shine a light on Cork’s artistic talent

THE environment in which an individual works has a tremendous impact on their happiness and satisfaction, and it’s a blessing for anyone who experiences a rush of joy as they go through the door of their workplace.

Valerie Byrne is one such person, and even though it’s coming up to four years since her appointment as Director of the National Sculpture Factory in Cork, she still gets that ‘Wow’ feeling as she steps into the building on Albert Road, Ballintemple, where the venue is located.

“It’s such a magical place,” she muses, “every time I enter the building I am still thrilled that I work in this incredible space.”

The National Sculpture Factory (NSF) serves as an enriching artistic and cultural hub in the life of Cork city and beyond.

Formerly a tram depot, it was established in 1989 and is housed within a redbrick warehouse close to the entrance of the docklands, from where a yearly programme of events, including lectures, screenings, commissions and talks, are hosted.

It’s a ‘mothership’ of inspiration, incubation, creation, development and completion of the expressions of many artists and sculptors who take up temporary residencies there.

By providing the necessary space and equipment, it affords artists the opportunity to create work which they could not do in smaller studio spaces or at home on their kitchen tables, making it a vital resource for a community brimming with talent and creativity.

“We can facilitate 15 artists in studio bays at any one time, and we have world class facilities to enable artists to make work of ambition and scale, “explained Valerie. “We and engage with a wide range of artists at all stages of their professional development.

So when lockdown happened, along with the whole country struggling to digest the news, it was a terrible blow to the creative community working at the NSF.

Like so many others within creative fields, the precipitous decline in their industries came as a major shock to the artists, which saw them having to down tools and abandon ship mid- project.

Working from home on their creations was not an option for many due to the scale of their work, and they also needed access to resources and equipment, which were only available at the Sculpture Factory.

“It was really challenging at the beginning, when the government made the announcement that we all had to close up for two weeks, and back then we could never have imagined that it was going to go on for the best part of two years,” said Valerie.

“We were not at all used to working remotely. We had never heard of this thing called Zoom, so at first we had to get used to setting up from home.

“When the news sank in and we realised that lockdown was going to continue on for longer than we had anticipated, we galvanized and set about making plans to keep going.

“Coming together online helped us to pivot and develop ideas on how to move forward during the crisis.

“We established two Covid officers, Dominic Fee, our acting Technical Manger and Alma O’Donovan, our and Artists’ Liaison Officer, and it was their job to keep abreast of all the government guidelines. We held regular Zoom meetings to check in and see how everybody was doing.

“As well as the loss of access to the space and resources provided by the NSF, and although some of our artists can work in isolation, for others, one of the lovely things about working in the communal space of the Factory is the opportunity for people to connect with one another, to have a coffee and a chat, or maybe bounce ideas off each other, so it was quite tough on artists to have that interaction taken away.

“During the first lockdown in 2020, we commissioned visual artist and writer Sara Baume to create a neon instillation artwork on the facade of the NSF. Sara chose an excerpt from a new text she was working on during lockdown ‘so sick and tired of Parsimony,we long for debauchery’, which was created for Cork Midsummer Festival’s Midsummer’s moments, and ran from June 21 to December 21. This neon sign was to demonstrate that although the building might be in darkness, we were sending a signal that we were still there, we were still going.

“It was very well received by the public, and it was later purchased by the Crawford Art Gallery for The National Collection.

“We also commissioned design studio ‘unthink’ to create a publication for the artwork, and that went on to be nominated for inclusion in the 100 Archive, and also subsequently won Silver at the Institute of Creative Advertising and Design Awards.

“In 2021 we commissioned Eimear Walshe to create a neon text ‘The Land For The People’, the second in our series of Neon Commissions, again running from midsummer to midwinter.

“The artwork was on a light sensor so that it came on earlier and earlier as the nights drew in, illuminating the darkest nights of the year.

“In tandem with the Neon artwork, we commissioned a publication which has seen an unprecedented demand and we are now looking at running the third edition,” she said.

Despite running many other events during lockdown, it was a happy day for Valerie and the crew at the Factory when they got the green light to open the doors once again, but of course there were the inevitable guidelines to be adhered to.

“ We had to follow the same guidelines as the construction industry,” explained Valerie.

“We have equipment that people share, so we had to figure out the best ways to sanitise it, being especially careful with some of the electrical equipment – we couldn’t just use the sprays as we couldn’t risk getting liquids into the components.

“We had to create five sanitation stations and tracing systems. Then there were items such as welding masks, and we had to set up a rota for them because they had to go into isolation after each person used them.

“Thanks to our wonderful staff and the co-operation of our artists, we managed to navigate our way through, and thankfully we had no Covid outbreaks in the factory.

“When we finally did get to get open - well - it was absolutely joyous, people were so happy to be back. The mood was just so upbeat and incredible.”

Valerie thinks that the importance of the role played by art and access to art in people’s lives cannot be underestimated.

“This became really evident during lockdown when the things that people looked for to keep them going were art and culture. It was music, poetry, books, film, painting, high quality TV and online engagement with galleries and cultural institutions.

“I really commend my colleagues in galleries and public organisations who did trojan work in putting out extraordinary online programmes for the public to engage with, such as tours of galleries and virtual exhibitions.

“We all had to think how to do things in a moment of crisis, when the whole sector was under pressure.

“I think it really showed what a central role the arts and culture play in people’s day to day lives, which maybe wasn’t properly recognised before. I’m very hopeful that it has become properly recognised now.

“Art in the public sphere is really important,” she continued, people can engage with it without necessarily having to cross the threshold of a gallery.

“It’s really egalitarian, and one of the great things about being based in Cork is that the cultural institutions here are really ive of one another.

“We often work together to collaborate on projects. For example, last autumn, the NSF collaborated with the Glucksman to commission a trail of five public Art interventions across Cork city. It was launched on Culture Night 2021, and it is the kind of work which we are very keen to continue. It really enriches our city and our lives.

“We have many exiting projects in the pipeline, including setting up a new website, we will be presenting work by Berlin-based Doireann O’Malley, and also a sonic walk in Cork, ‘After Light These Dark Citizens’, devised by Peter Power, which will be part of the 2022 Midsummer festival programme.

“Over the past 12 months we have also been working with Blue Line Consulting and Sinead Burke, the CEO of ‘Tilting the Lens’, to make the NSF more equitable, diverse, and accessible.

“Working on our Equality Diversity and Inclusion strategy has been a hugely important undertaking for us.”

With fostering public engagement, nurturing artists, and many other events being rolled out in 2022, the NSF continues to shine a neon light on the superb quality of Cork’s unique and artistic landscape.

For more on the National Sculpture Factory see http://nationalsculpturefacatory.com/