Lost and Found

At the Port of Cork are two containers, curated by Sarah Iremonger.  The first of these contains Stephen Mc Glynn's 'Mapping Office', a project which attempts a psychological, a temporal mapping of location.  Stephen is investigating the forgotten or disappeared parts of locality and what it means for those people who can only visit these places in their memories.  Stephen gathers these stories, mapping them in a textural, multi-layered and process-based way.  He describes this project as an'office for emotional attachments' and is interested in the sense of dislocation, which people can experience as a result of the changing landscape of their past. There is little doubt that memories can become warped very quickly, with or without a physical building, streetscape etc to focus on, but when this internal landscape no longer has any external reference, memories must be in danger of becoming overwhelmed altogether.  Locality in this context, which has the potential to exist over time is slowly erased, lost.

Danny Holcroft is literally getting lost in the city.  Based in Glasgow, this artist is not familiar with Cork and sets off each morning without a map.  He then approaches people he meets to ask for directions back to the Art Trail office at Jeffers on St. Patrick's Quay.  These 'maps' and drawings which are created for him are displayed at Jeffers and are slowly growing in number.  What is interesting for Danny is the way people approach this task, concentrating and visualising the route.  Danny is also leading a walk on Wednesday, where he plans to 'get lost' with the group.  This project ties in beautifully with Stephen Mc Glynn's, and also the dérive of Combination City, exploring the city over time and geography.  Both Danny's and Stephen' project are worth visiting a number of times to see how they grow and evolve during the course of the festival.

The second container at the Port of Cork contains Open Shutter, a camera obscura project by Maureen Considine.  This work needs time, as it will take a few minutes at least for your eyes to adjust adequately to see the image.  Gradually the moving imagery emerges ghost-like and of course upside-down.  Traffic moves in the wrong direction, and the tops of buildings point downwards into the sky.  A unique perspective of the busy city is the reward for your time.