New Digital Projection Installation, Winter Sun, Lights Up Triskel Arts Centre, the latest Island City Sculpture Trail installation

Cutting-edge Island City website and tours launched with accessibility in mind—offering an unprecedented level of public art engagement in Ireland.

Cork’s iconic Triskel Christchurch building has been illuminated with a new moving image work of art for the winter months. The Winter Sun projection by acclaimed local artist Elinor O’Donovan is the digital installation in the city-wide Island City sculpture trail and will be on display from 15 October 2024 to end of April 2025.

Alongside this vibrant new projection, a website with world-class accessibility features has also been launched at www.islandcitycork.ie, in addition to interactive walking tours of the Island City Sculpture Trail.

Winter Sun follows the success of Tempus Futurum and seeks to capture the warmth of a Cork summer for the winter months. Inspired by the iconic view from Patrick’s Hill at Bell’s Field, the work is a 10-minute looped film depicting Corkonians gathering to share a moment of togetherness, united by the beauty of a setting summer sun. The projection, digitally mapped onto the South Main Street façade of Triskel, transforms the 300-year-old Georgian building at dusk every evening.

Reflecting on her inspiration, Elinor O’Donovan, from Cork City, said, “In 1750, when the Triskel Christchurch building was just twenty years old, Cork painter John Butts depicted the growing city of Cork in his painting “View of Cork from Audley Place”. The painting, which is part of the collection of Cork Crawford Art Gallery, depicts two different viewpoints of the city which the artist seamlessly blended into one panorama. The pink-ish tint to the sky suggests the setting is early evening, and in the foreground two men and a dog look out over the north side of the city. The vista depicted in Butts’ painting is a familiar sight for many Corkonians, and to fans of the film and TV series ‘The Young Offenders’ (as its used as a key location in both). For me, Audley Place (or what is generally referred to as Bell’s Field), is a place of respite. Often on summer evenings, I make the short walk from my house in St Luke’s up to Military Hill, then down towards Bell’s Field. Occasionally, I’ll go there in moments of stress, with something on my mind. When I sit on the grass and look out over the city, I find myself able to enjoy a moment of peace. On other occasions I visit Bell’s Field with friends, and we huddle together on a blanket (if we’ve remembered to bring one, that is) and point at all the landmarks we recognise. Once, I made the pilgrimage up Patrick’s Hill with an American who was new to Cork, determined to show him the best view of the city. Out of breath, but proud of the achievement of having walked up that hill, we were rewarded with a vibrant sunset.

“The last time I visited Bell’s Field, I was on my own, drawn there by an unusual cherry-red sunset. I was struck by the number of people who also felt a similar Bell-call; groups of Spanish students, young couples, dog-walkers, a family playing football, and lone passers-by all came to the top of Patrick’s Hill to share the view. I found it profound that though none of the separate groups of people or individuals likely knew each other, we were all connected by this particular act of sun-worship. John Butts’ painting serves as evidence that this view has sparked the imagination of Corkonians for the last 300 years. Winter Sun is a continuation of this tradition.” 

Winter Sun is part of the Island City Urban Sculpture Trail, a Cork City Council initiative that integrates contemporary art into daily life. 100% funded by Fáilte Ireland under the Urban Animation Scheme, the trail features five sculptures installed across the city. In addition to Winter Sun, the sculptures include Sentinels on Carey’s Lane, Boom Nouveau on Cook St, The Face Cup at Princes St and Oliver Plunkett St, and Urban Mirror on Cornmarket Street.  The sculptures were commissioned after a competitive process supported by the National Sculpture Factory, while Winter Sun was selected through an open call.

The newly launched Island City website offers self-guided routes of the sculpture trail and will offer the public a far greater opportunity to engage with both the artwork and the artists with behind-the-scenes documentation, insights into the significance of the locations, and an interactive map. In partnership with Arts & Disability Ireland, a range of accessibility features have also been developed to ensure everyone can experience the artworks.  These include NaviLens codes for the visually impaired; three social narrative videos documenting the trail with things to know before you go and guidance on any access barriers of note such as audio descriptions with certified Audio Describer Bríd Ní Ghruagáin (including translations in 34 languages which will be hugely beneficial for tourists); touch tour resources so visually impaired participants can experience the shape and feel of the artworks, in particular work that is out of reach i.e. The Face Cup and Sentinels; ListenTALK Assisted Listening Devices, allowing tours of the trial for up to 14 people with hearing impairments. There will also be accessible walking tours with an ISL interpreter present for members of the Deaf Community.  These combined initiatives are unique for Public Art in Ireland and this level of access has not been offered before.

Cork City Council has also partnered with Sample Studios, one of Ireland’s largest artist studios, to create a series of 12 guided walking tours, one per month from November 2024 – November 2025.  These tours will be led by Sample Studio’s Dr Matthew Whyte and he will be assisted by members of their Studios of Sanctuary Programme.  The tour guides have been trained in assisted listening, audio describing, touch tour development and guiding a person with a vision impairment.  The tours are offered to the general public with additional tours being developed for people requiring these accessibility accommodations.

 Tony Sheehan, Artistic Director at Triskel, said, “The Triskel building has been a canvas for art and culture for centuries, and Winter Sun continues that legacy in a contemporary, engaging way. It’s a beautiful addition to the city’s landscape and we congratulate artist Elinor O’Donovan, Cork City Council, Fáilte Ireland and the National Sculpture Factory.”

Island City, Cork’s Urban Sculpture Trail is a Cork City Council project funded by Fáilte Ireland under the Urban Animation Scheme, with commissioning support by National Sculpture Factory.  The initiative was recently Highly Commended at the Business to Arts Awards for ‘Engaging audiences with Cork’s unique heritage through an accessible experience.’

To learn more about Island City, go to www.corkcity.ie/islandcity or follow @IslandCityCorkSculpture on Instagram.