AN exhibition by the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) on the tradition and future of the Irish town will open in Skibbereen this month.
‘The Reason of Towns’ will launch on April 12th in Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre as the final stop in a national tour across Ireland.
It’s an engaging and ambitious exhibition by the (IAF) of the work of one of Ireland’s most renowned architects, Valerie Mulvin.
Curated, commissioned and produced by the IAF, this touring exhibition features models, drawings, texts, and a series of slides, notes, personal memorabilia, building fragments and more.
Valerie said she hoped the exhibition can help ‘start a conversation about the value of the local, about using and reusing everything that already exists, and what it really means to share space in towns, among those unique environments and communities.’
Emmett Scanlon, director of the IAF said they were ‘determined to support policy makers and local communities to work together to build more sustainable, inclusive and beautiful futures in towns across Ireland.
From our work in towns we know there is a strong appetite to address issues of dereliction, vacancy, and repair, and for what is often sincere local pride of place to be made real, to be translated into high quality buildings and public spaces for all.
‘The Reason of Towns’ will launch on April 12th in Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre.
Exhibitions of architecture are unique in that they can be beautiful, revealing and engaging for audiences, yet they can also act as agents of change. They provide a constructive space for dialogue and imagination and sow the seeds of change.’
‘I urge everyone in Skibbereen to visit this exhibition and enjoy the work of one of Ireland’s most respected architects,’ he said.
Ann Davoren, Director of Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, said they were delighted to be part of this national tour.
‘The Reason of Towns offers a timely platform for exploring the identity, development, and future of Skibbereen at a moment of transformation. As the town embraces its role as a ‘pathfinder’ and engages in conversations about regeneration, this exhibition creates an opportunity to air local concerns within a national framework—fostering civic pride and inspiring action. That it coincides with the 10th anniversary of Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre’s architect-designed home in the heart of Skibbereen makes this reflection on place and community all the more resonant,’ she said.
The self-guided exhibition will run in Skibbereen until Wednesday, May 21st.
