PUMPHOUSE ART AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME LAUNCHES
On May 3, Dublin Port Company announced details of its Art and Engagement programme at the Pumphouse, Alexandra Road.
The Pumphouse formerly housed the steam engine which powered the gates of Graving Dock 1 but has been repurposed by Dublin Port into an artistic and cultural venue and is a key part of the Heritage Zone at Dublin Port.
The theme for this year’s Dublin Port Art and Engagement programme is ‘Connections: The Port, the City, Arts and Education’. Dublin Port’s plans for the Heritage Zone at the Pumphouse include expanding its use for public exhibitions, events and performances, creating a distinct and unique destination in the heart of the working port as part of Port-City integration plans up to 2040.
The Art and Engagement programme has been underway since mid-2022. It includes completed art and design outputs, such as large-scale projections incorporating live and still imagery, as well as workshops led by experienced artists with pupils from St Laurence O’Toole Primary School and second level art students from Ringsend College.
Under a comprehensive programme of future work, established artists and students will participate in short residencies and performances, including theatre and music – designed and customised for the Pumphouse context. These have been developed in partnership with theatre companies, ANU and Fishamble, as well as with students from the National College of Art & Design (NCAD), UCD’s School of Architecture, the Design and Material Culture Course at NCAD, as well as the Sean O’Casey Community Centre’s Art Group and teenage members of the East Wall Youth Centre.
Highlights of the current programme include:
• Artworks by Transition Students from Ringsend College and ‘Works in Progress’ Prints and Photographs by 5th Year Students (April 2023): A study group of Transition Year students from Ringsend College are engaged in a new round of workshops with artist Janine Davidson using a range of art media to explore Port/City themes.
• ‘Mappings of East Wall’, by the Sean O’Casey Community Centre Art
2023):These small scale and intimate mappings by members of the Sean O’Casey Centre’s mature art group amount to a creative portrait of the streets, homes and people who constitute the local neighbourhood of East Wall.
• NCAD Studio+ Programme (May 2023):The Pumphouse is being regularly used as a situated studio space as part of the National College of Art & Design’s Studio+ programme, during which a student groups take place.
• ‘States of Independence’ by Smashing Times, International Centre for Arts and Equality (October 2023).Celebrating the stories of 10 changemakers from the Decade of Centenaries, and stories of 10 changemakers today, told through performances, visual arts, creativebillboardsand online exhibitions.
“The use of the Pumphouse is part of Dublin Port’s long-term strategy of connecting Port and City,” explained Barry O’Connell,
CEO, Dublin Port. “The ‘Connections’ event process and will see other large-scale heritage and arts projects being developed as areas of the Port are opened for public use. We are excited about this development in the overall context of port development and are committed to ensuring that the Port develops as a thriving community resource.”
Edel Currie, Community Engagement Manager for Dublin Port, added, “It has been very positive, over the last few years, to see the theatre and music events, creative residencies and learning workshops develop at the Pumphouse. The engagement with the local schools and Colleges on these artistic works has been enormously positive. The wider appeal of these projects demonstrates the potential for the Pumphouse as a heritage zone in the city centre.”
Declan McGonagle, curator of the Pumphouse programme, said, “The Pumphouse is a distinct and unique setting where creative practice meets public experience in the context of a working Port and communities of place interact with
The visualisations and signage tell the story of the Pumphouse, its transformation and contemporary use. These visualisations of past and present activities are presented within the Pumphouse, using large scale, immersive projected imagery, a large scale white screen projection and monitors, along with photo enlarged panels of workshops, participants and artworks. The works have groups and include interviews with relevant members and past Port workers.”