Design POP festival to explore how 'creativity' could tackle Cork's dereliction
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Tackling dereliction and tapping into Cork’s potential as a city centre for creatives will be among the themes for discussion at one of the country’s coolest festivals which opens on Friday.
The third annual Design POP festival will bring some of the leading thinkers in architecture and design to the city for the weekend, with workshops and discussions on issues including dereliction, engaging the creative community for potential solutions, urban regeneration and housing.
Festival founder, Amy McKeogh, said there has been so much recent discussion on dereliction, especially in Cork, that it was important for this year’s festival to address the issue.
“It’s a no-brainer to have this discussion, and to discuss what our city could become, to discuss the future of the city, and not to focus just on the negatives, but to pair it with creativity to identify and offer solutions,” she said.
“We need to acknowledge the current issues and add the positive side, by engaging the creative community about how to solve them, how to change cities for the better and help them grow.
“The start of any problem-solving is starting the conversation and creating an atmosphere of discussion and exploration of what those solutions could be. We hope to come up with some good ideas and concrete solutions.”
She spoke of how the traditional high street is dying, yet holds vast untapped potential in its ‘over the shop’ spaces. “These spaces could become hubs for young architects, young creatives — there is so much potential there,” she said.
“The festival is a great platform to have these meaningful conversations and discussions around these themes.”
The festival is supported by Cork City Council and LEO Cork City and this year’s programme is its biggest yet, with over 28 architecture and design events at festival HQ in Nano Nagle Place.
Award-winning architects behind the design of some of Cork’s newest buildings, including those at the regenerated north docks at Penrose Dock, will be involved in the talks.
There will be a panel discussion on women in architecture, featuring Aisling Cleary of FaulknerBrowns, Clare Kilty, an architect at Brown Thomas and Arnotts, Orla O’Kane, president of the AAI, Laura Carroll of Islander Architects and Ms McKeogh of Fior studios and Design POP.
Also Frank O'Connor and Jude Sherry of the Anois Agency, the campaigners behind Derelict Ireland, and Rob Curley and Alfonso Bonilla of Maremoto Architects, will be among the panelists on a discussion on urban regeneration.
Four temporary pavilions have also been installed at locations across the city — Wilson Architecture’s installation at Penrose Dock, James Grennan’s piece at Nano Nagle Plaza, Babelfís at Penrose Wharf, and Design POP’s piece at Nano Nagle Place — to mark the event.
Full festival details and ticket information are available on designpop.ie.