Local Colour for SIRIUS: Selected Works from the Archives and Collection

Local Colour for SIRIUS: Selected Works from the Archives and Collection features works and materials from the SIRIUS archives and collection, uncovered during research and cataloguing undertakings initiated in 2021. From its significant architectural and social history as the former headquarters of the Royal Cork Yacht Club to its current programme, SIRIUS interrogates traditional ideas of building a collection. The items in the care of SIRIUS reveal – even if only sometimes partially – the richness of the institution’s holdings, and are a rich resource for artists, researchers, members of the community, and wider audiences.

LAUNCH AND OTHER EVENTS

Peter Murray in conversation with Miguel Amado

Introduced and with moderation by Ellie O'Byrne

SIRIUS

Saturday, 11 February, 3-5pm

Free; no booking required

Curator Peter Murray, former director and founder of SIRIUS, and current director Miguel Amado discuss with the journalist Ellie O'Byrne the beginnings of SIRIUS, from the rescuing of the building to the original vision and programme, the development of a collection, and narratives around Cobh.

Lecture by Tom Spalding

Introduced and with a response by Brian Mac Domhnaill

Researcher Tom Spalding offers a lively, illustrated tour of SIRIUS, examining the way the building's rooms were used in the past, some of the people who lived there, the different meanings of the materials and finishes it is constructed from, and the changes it has undergone in the last 169 years.

Saturday, 18 February, 3-5pm

Free; no booking required

SIRIUS has never been regarded as a collecting entity by its governing bodies, stakeholders, or audiences. Yet it is the custodian of the 1850s architectural drawings for the clubhouse of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the building it occupies, and miscellaneous documents related to its transition from that function into an art centre. In addition, since its foundation in the mid-1990s, it has accessioned works through donations by artists who exhibited and/or were in residence, and more recently through commissions for artists to respond to Cobh and/or County Cork’s context.

At the core of Local Colour for SIRIUS: Selected Works from the Archives and Collection are the 1850s architectural drawings for the clubhouse of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, reproduced from the originals after treatment and conservation carried out by Muckross House technicians in 2021 on behalf of SIRIUS. Also presented is documentation of the building’s poor condition in the mid-1980s and the efforts conducted by local enthusiasts, led by curator Peter Murray, to rescue it and create a new cultural site.

This exhibition is curated by Miguel Amado, director, with Andrea Spörri, curatorial trainee. Its production has been supported, in different stages and activities, by the Community Heritage Grant Scheme 2021, Heritage Council; the Regional Museum Exhibitions Scheme 2022, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media; and the Engaging with Architecture Scheme 2021, Arts Council.