Irish Arts Review

Cultural CollaborationsAuthor(s): Marianne O'KaneSource: Irish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 23, 175th Anniversary of the Office of Public Works(2006), pp. 34-39Published by: Irish Arts ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25503516 .

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49

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Cultura

Collaborations

The Per Cent for Art initiative is not unique to Ireland, but its creative and

effective employment here is remarkable, writes MARIANNE O'KANE

Throughout the last decade, Ireland's burgeoning economy has provided the perfect climate

for countrywide urban regeneration and infrastructural development. Improved road net

works and revised town planning have presented possibilities for creativity in the public

realm, evident in architecture, landscaping and site-specific public art. The evolution of

Ireland's emerging public art portfolio has been rapid in recent times through increased awareness and

integral provision in allocated budgets. The OPW, through its dedicated Art Management Group has

contributed significantly to this advancement. A popular contemporary misnomer, however, is that the

OPW is responsible for every per cent for art commission in the public sphere. On the contrary, it has

no involvement in the placement of the major sculptures of varying quality that punctuate the coun

try's arterial routes. As a rule, the jurisdiction of the OPW's architects, engineers and the Art

Management Group, is art placement specifically in conjunction with OPW Capital Projects, involv

ing construction, restoration and refurbishment of state buildings.

Remarkably, the OPW Art Management Group responsible for managing the commissioning and

purchasing of artworks under the Per Cent for Art Scheme, was established as recently as 1991. The

artistic achievements of this industrious collective

over the past fifteen years have been noteworthy.

Provision is accompanied by involvement of client

groups and personnel to ensure a sense of pride and

ownership of art incorporated. The experience of art

naturally extends beyond the oftentimes elitist

gallery setting to infiltrate garda stations, state labo

ratories, courthouses, and government departments.

The art becomes a source of interest, engagement

and debate. The Art Management Group was the

brainchild of the then Chairman, Barry Murphy, an

arts enthusiast, with the vision to establish an effec

tive channel for per cent for art commissioning. He

also ensured an outlet for public enjoyment and edi

fication in the annual art of the state exhibition, also

initiated in 1991. This features themed elements of

the state collection and tours nationally and often

i* M?

175 OPW

The Office of Public Works Oifig na nOibreacha Poibl?

1 Elke Weston

Image 2005

glass installation

State Laboratory,

Celbridge, Co

Kildare

2 Eileen

MacDonagh

Incommunicado

1989 black granite, Dublin Castle

Conference Centre

OPW 175TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION 35

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3 Brian King Ogma Sun-Face 2003 gold leaf on etched

aluminium

National Library of Ireland, Kildare

Street, Dublin

4 Michael Quane

Killamey Depot, 2000 stone National

Monuments

5 Colm Brennan

Raon an Corr?in

(trace of the reaping hook), 2001 bronze

Turlough Park

Museum of Country Life, Co Mayo

internationally. The accompanying catalogue for this

initiative has been a crucial vehicle for profiling the

state's interest in the arts. This annual event acts as a

celebration of the fruits of per cent purchasing and

enables the general public to view artworks collectively

at a remove from state offices and departments.

Per cent for art is an interesting concept designed to

ensure arts provision in public projects. It commenced

in Ireland almost thirty years ago. According to OPW

Art Adviser, Pat Murphy, '[It was with] the visionary

per cent for art scheme [implemented] in 1978, where

by Government sought to encourage the arts in Ireland

by setting aside 1 % of the cost of all public construc

tion projects, to acquire works of art to adorn the new

buildings (there was an initial limit set at ?6,000, which

was later raised to ?12,000). The Art Management

Group brought shape and focus to this Government

policy.'1 In 2004, the General National Guidelines on

per cent for art were published and this superb publi

cation offers a concise explanation of the scheme, prof

fering cogent examples of a variety of projects. It is stat

ed: 'The Per Cent for Art Scheme gives the Irish pub lic the opportunity to experience a vast range of con

temporary art, borne out of capital construction proj

ects, in their everyday life. In turn it provides a chal

lenge and an opportunity to a wide range of artists

to create work for public engagement and response.'2

m The first proper per cent for art commissions

would have been for Dublin Castle in 1987-88. In

art terms, the architecture and site-specific works in

the grounds of Dublin Castle are a visual delight.

The Per Cent for Art Scheme

gives the Irish public the

opportunity to experience a vast range of contemporary art, borne out of capital construction projects, in their everyday life

36 OPW 175TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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CULTURAL COLLABORATIONS

One of the earliest commissions for the castle was

Eileen MacDonagh's Incommunicado of 1989. This work

consists of two sculpted black monoliths, sited in an

outdoor pool (Fig 2). This semi-abstract creation is equal

ly effective now over fifteen years after it was conceived.

Major integral artworks commissioned under the per

cent scheme include works by Rachel Joynt. One is a

steel, copper plate and blue glass weathervane that marks

the Clock Tower apex of the Chester Beatty Library.

Plumb Line by Vivienne Roche was commissioned in

1995 for the Ship Street Range entrance building (Fig

6). This monumental sculpture discretely counterpoints

its surroundings due to the materials and colours

employed. The castle's portfolio also boasts a range of

exquisite applied art commissions by leading artists

such as Kathy Prendergast and Killian Schurmann.

These, however, were not per cent commissions but

were instead secured through the main contract.

The policy of per cent for art is not particular to

Ireland, and indeed when you consider application of

the scheme here in contrast to American provision

through per cent pioneers such as Seattle, the Irish are

operating on a much smaller scale. It is, however, the

creative and effective employment of limited funds that

distinguish this country's approach to the initiative.

Assistant Principal Architect at OPW Angela Rolfe, with responsibility for individual commissions, high

lights: 'The funding is relatively modest when com

pared with the US and Europe, therefore the scheme

tends to attract younger emerging artists. As a publicly

funded scheme it has been an excellent training ground

for organisations and artists alike; and the public art

has developed in range and quality. However there is

no "premier league" or first division to move into.'3

According to the Chairman of the OPW and the Art

Management Group, Sean Benton, it is due in no small

part to the general public's receptiveness to art that the

OPW has achieved successful appreciation of art in

public buildings. 'Increased visual awareness and

design consciousness in Ireland has ensured that there

is a strong demand for contemporary art from the

OPW client departments. A vibrant art market and the

success of the Irish art colleges in producing graduates

of high calibre have filled this demand.'4 The Art

Management Group began operating almost exclusive

ly in visual arts. In recent years however, through expe

rience and further consolidation of the per cent

scheme, other art forms have been employed, often in

a collaborative capacity. The disciplines of literature,

drama, music, new media and installation have seen

integration in public buildings with fascinating results.

For Angela Rolfe it is important to represent a broader

Angela Rolfe Angela Rolfe is Assistant Principal Architect with the Office of

Public Works. She graduated from Bath University and University

College Dublin, and has been a Fellow of the RIAI since 2001.

She has had an interesting and varied career since joining the

OPW in 1980. Between 1981 and 1989 she was one of a team of

four architects responsible for the restoration and conference centre

at Dublin Castle. In 1990 she was one of a team of three architects

responsible for the conversion of the College of Science to the

Department of the Taoiseach. Other projects she has worked on

include the restoration of the Birr Telescope at Birr Castle Demesne,

Kiltartan Old National School, and the restoration and extension of

the Clock Tower Building, Dublin Castle for the Chester Beatty

Library. From 1996 to 2005 she was Senior

Architect, before being promoted to Assistant

Principal Architect. In 2000 she received an

RIAI award for her conversion of a former

penal church to the Michael Davitt Museum,

Straide and the RIAI Conservation Award for

the restoration of Joseph's Cottage in the

Wicklow Mountains National Park.

Since 1991, Angela Rolfe has been a

founder member of the OPW Art Management

Group, which is responsible for the manage

ment, maintenance, commissioning and pur

chase of artworks for the State under the Per

Cent for Art Scheme. She oversees approximately fifteen commis

sions a year, liaising with the client, short-listing artists, and chairing

the meeting of the selection panel.

Rolfe says: 'I have made it part of my job because I enjoy it. I like

getting involved with projects outside my own portfolio, understand

ing the work of my colleagues and giving them the opportunity to

work with artists. I relish "breaking new ground". The artist-in-resi

dence programme for an Asylum Seekers' Centre was a very difficult

but rewarding per cent for art commission. Unfortunately it wasn't

extended by the Department of Justice.'

Angela Rolfe is currently working on per cent for art commissions

for Collins Barracks, Cobh Custom House, Galway Civic Museum and

Tuliamore Courthouse.

range of the arts in commissions for cultural institu

tions such as historic buildings and monuments.

The collaborative commission Six Sycamores, demon

strates the successful synthesis and cohabitation of two

art forms in a given space. This site-specific artwork

was conceived to celebrate the link building between

51 and 52 St Stephen's Green. The commission dictat

ed that the selected poet Paula Meehan choose an artist

that she felt could best visually illustrate her featured

poem: Six Sycamores. Marie Foley was chosen and the

partnership produced a compelling narrative installa

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CULTURAL COLLABORATIONS

tion, which can be viewed from the ground floor of the

link. Meehan's lines are masterfully represented by the

series of complimentary wall sculptures by Foley.

Time slides slowly down the sash window

puddling in light on oaken hoards. The Green

is a great lung, exhaling breath on the pane

the seasons turn, sunset and moonset, the ebb

and flow The artist in turn has created a sculpture through

utilising the finest aspects of craftsmanship. To com

pliment Meehan's mysterious poem, Foley has con

ceived an equally enigmatic sculptural portrayal. A

series of six handcrafted long-handled shovels arranged

in a linear fashion are complimented on the opposite

side of the space by a series of six wooden taps, pro

truding from the wall high above six marble vessels

extending from the wall below. Without any textual

integration, Foley has provided an effective and

thought-provoking visualisation.

Collaboration is evident, not only in the final art

work, but also throughout the commissioning process

and this is its particular triumph. Operating firmly

with an architect's mindset, Angela Rolfe explains the

9 Collaboration is evident, not

only in the final artwork, but also

throughout the

commissioning process and this is its

particular triumph

synergy of this collective endeavour: 'The collaborative

process between the architect, engineer and artists can

be very rewarding. Many architects have commented

that they greatly enjoy discussing their building with

the commissioned artist and having an artist's view on

their work.' It is an added creative perspective that is

not normally available to architects (Figs 4<Sl5).

Visual art continues to be the dominant mode for

commissions. The artworks are highly successful as

they have been designed with context and site-speci

ficity firmly in mind. Cloud by Joy Gerrard, located in

the Revenue Commissioners Offices, Waterford, in

2004, is a celestial rendition that perfectly highlights the singular dynamics of its contextual environment

(Fig 7). This sculptural piece, with a budget of

60,000, consists of over 1000 glass spheres, ranging

in diameter from 50-150mm that are suspended in the

atrium. There are also six photographic light boxes

located on the surrounding balconies and one large

photograph (all conceived as an interrelated installa

tion). The 'cloud' comprises of a medley of hand blown

glass spheres varying from being transparent to frost

ed, silver and grey. The work is designed to be viewed

in the round and is equally effective from below, the

balconies or outside. The modular tones of the con

temporary architecture context are perfectly compli

mented by the subtle variations of the suspended gla

cial orbs. The atrium consists primarily of glass and

curtain walling so the sculpture is at once both subtle

and highly visible. According to the artist, 'I am partic

ularly fascinated by the flow and gathering of a crowd

and this proposal is particularly appropriate to a space

as public as this, with a constant flow of people work

ing and moving through it.'5 Gerrard's current practice

in photography, printmaking and sculpture further

investigates this crowd phenomenon.

For the National Library of Ireland the sculptor

Brian King was commissioned to produce a four-panel

semi-abstract wall piece for the entrance hall in Kildare

Street. Its title, Ogma Sun-Face, refers to the foundation

of Ogham as the first written language of the Celtic

Race (Fig 3). This is a creative interpretation of the

beginnings of language that immediately points to its

literary setting. According to the Book of Ballymote,

Ogham was traced to the moment when Ogma Sun

Face raised four pillars of equal length, and it was on

these pillars that the characters of the ogham letters are

inscribed. The pillars here are represented as four pan

els in the ogham alphabet with a circle placed central

ly to denote Sun-Face. The aluminium-clad panels

incorporating gold leaf provide a literal yet highly effec

tive rendering of the subject. The piece installed in late

2003 is important 'as the National Library is the repos

itory of written information relating to Irish Literature,

[and thus] this commission makes reference to the pre

cursor of our language and writings.'6

Sara Iremonger was one of three artists commis

sioned to provide artworks for Northside Civic

Centre, within the Per Cent for Art budget. Entitled

The Peaks and Hollows of the Irish Landscape, the work

comprises a large-scale wall painting with a companion

3 8 I

OPW 175TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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.I? <in%*

.fVtfc*'

neon element. This piece is based on drawings of the

Irish landscape by 19th-century painter George P?trie.

With reference to the works specific context,

Iremonger interprets the views from the centre across

the city, and of the Wicklow Mountains that can both

be seen from the top floor of the building. The mono

chromatic wall drawing meanders through and above

door frames in a flowing movement that calls atten

tion to the sense of clean space within, while the sub

ject highlights the landscape without.

An interesting commission was installed in the State

Laboratory, Celbridge, Co Kildare in December 2005.

The State Laboratory was established in 1924 to pro

vide an advisory and analytical service to the Irish

Government. The artist contracted was German stained

glass specialist Elke Westen who has been based in

Ireland for many years. For the reception area, Westen

produced a colourful creation that perfectly completes

the space, an abstract representation loosely based on

scientific experiments and molecular biology (Fig 1).

She inscribed three perfect circles directly onto the

reception glazing and these are surrounded by the

primary colours red, blue and yellow, applied in a painter

ly fashion. OPW per cent projects are ongoing under Art

Management Group guidance. Elsewhere throughout the

country, current percent projects include: The New

Waterways Ireland Headquarters, Scarriff, Co Clare;

Tullamore Courthouse, Co Offaly; Botanic Gardens,

Dublin; four commissions at the Garda College in

Templemore, Co Tipperary; and the Galway Museum in

collaboration with Galway City Council.

Evidently there has been major development in the

area of per cent commissioning throughout this island.

OPW's contribution to this policy has been vital and

its legacy throughout state buildings and related proj

ects is distinguished by quality and innovation.

Commitment to this area of endeavour is continuing

and Sean Benton affirms, 'In OPW, art and architec

ture go hand in hand ... In implementing the scheme

fully in every building project we undertake, we active

ly pursue innovative art projects and look forward to

doing so in the future.'7

Marianne O'Kane is Curator of the Cavanacor Gallery, Donegal and a regular contributor to art and design publications.

6 ViviENNE Roche

Plumbline 1995

painted steel bronze

and stainless steel

Ship Street Range, Dublin Castle

7 Joy Gerrard

Cloud 2003

glass installation

Atrium, Revenue

Commissioners, The Glen, Waterford

1 Patrick J Murphy, 'Sculpture First' Art of

the State Exhibition, Dublin: Government

of Ireland, 2002.

2 Public Art: Per Cent for Art Scheme -

General National Guidelines 2004, Dublin: Government of Ireland, 2004.

3 Interview with Angela Rolfe, Assistant

Principal Architect, OPW, 20 March 2006.

4 Statement from Sean Benton, Chairman

of the Art Management Group, Value of

Per Cent for Art Scheme to the Arts, 23

March 2006.

5 Angela Rolfe, 'Recent Commissions -

Per Cent for Art Scheme' 2006.

6 Ibid

7 Statement from Sean Benton, Chairman

of the Art Management Group, Value of

Per Cent for Art Scheme to the Arts

OPW 175TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION |

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