OVER the coming months, the kiosk at Limerick’s People’s Park will reopen as part of a series of multidisciplinary residencies.
As part of the Limerick City of Culture programme, artists were asked to respond to a simple question: “What would you do if you could have The Park Kiosk for a month?
The first project in the Park Kiosk from November 17 is ‘Dog Tales’ by Carl Doran and it should prove of special interest to the city’s dog-owners.
Carl explained, “I am inviting dog-owners to drop in for a short chat about their dogs. There will be tea and coffee available, a comfortable space for the dog and possibly some doggy treats too!”
Carl will then photograph and draw the dog and during his final week in the kiosk he will make artwork for each dog/owner. The project will conclude with presentations, a reception for dogs/owners and a group dog walk.
The kiosk has been in its city centre location since the mid-19th century and witnessed 150 years of changes within the city, until the last JR ice pop was sold in the late 1980’s.
Each month will offer a new experience, as artists present work made specifically for this iconic building on the southern side of The People’s Park.
The kiosk’s interior will be transformed into a green building promoting Limerick as an environmentally friendly and ecologically rich city as part of a project by artist Mary Conroy
“I’m very excited about being given the opportunity to work in this little piece of history in the beautiful People’s Park. I’m looking forward to creating something new through a collaborative process”, she said.
The artists have all approached the possibility of re-opening the kiosk in different ways. Some see it as a studio, a theatre, community centre and of course a shop. Each month the kiosk, its history and how it relates to The People’s Park and the city will be explored through different media and art forms.
Norma Lowney’s project ‘The Theatre Shop’ will transform the kiosk into a performance space. Norma will develop a piece of theatre based of shared memories of the kiosk, the People’s Park and of Limerick City of Culture to be performed in the kiosk in the run up to Christmas.
For opening times visit limerickcityofculture.ie
