Wrapped around the new cafe building that was once part of the farmyard established for the nearby St. Patrick’s College, the artwork Flowing Places interrogates its constantly evolving surroundings. Artist Anja Buchheister studied old maps of the area and drew from interviews with local residents: she learned about the horse breaker getting horse-drawn carriages ready for the priests, about the various socio-economic and historical functions of the sheds and stables, and many more memories connected to the history of this particular place.
Today, the public artwork forms part of the newly developed Market Quarter, which hosts a weekly market that offers a mix of handcrafted products, artisan food and fresh produce and makes a vibrant place of creativity and local enterprise. Hot drinks can be enjoyed in the adjacent One19 Coffee House, while the marquee allows for outdoor activity all year round, including special events and performances.
Scribbles by artist Anja Buchheister, photo courtesy of artist
Yellow powder coated metal cuts form a sentence that questions the constant fluidity of time and place. Conversational phrases like “it is what it is” are used in everyday life as a form of acceptance of circumstances. Buchheister has utilised such phrases to question this narrative in a playful way:
“it is the way it is … was … will be … is it? …”
Buchheister explains: “This research led me to think about the constant evolution of our environment. What we see when we are in a place is what we see now – this is our perceived reality. But this reality has been formed by the people who have been here before us, and it will keep changing and evolving.” The artwork marks the place with successive statements and questions, flowing around the building in an endless loop, like the water keeps flowing in nearby river Suir. Flowing Places takes the viewer back to local history, makes them contemplate what place means to them today and what it could look like tomorrow.
Originally from Wolfenbüttel, Germany, artist Anja Buchheister now operates from her studio in Templetuohy, Thurles. She obtained a diploma in Sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and a diploma in Graphic Design from the University of Applied Sciences in Mannheim. Working across photography, collage, and installation, Buchheister explores perception and oscillations between two- and three-dimensionality, creating poetic interventions in both the exhibition space and the public space. Her work, for which she received numerous grants and awards, has been exhibited in Ireland and Germany.
Flowing Places was commissioned by Tipperary County Council as part of the Per Cent for Art Scheme and developed in close cooperation with Thurles Municipal District. The Project was funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht under the Rural Regional Development Fund (RRDF) and Project Ireland 2040.
For more information on Anja’s work, visit her website.
For further information about public art in county Tipperary, please contact the Arts Office, Tipperary County Council. Phone: 0818 06 5000, Email: [email protected]
