VillaK’s initial premise was a loose one: to house a group of artists, Sarah O Brien, Helena Lyons, Sibyl Montague, Tim Furey, Martin Dineen and (later) Doireann O’ Malley in a ‘live studio/exhibition; and to generate, facilitate and transmit ideas and work. Our research led us to consider established models, ‘SwitchSpace’ (Glasgow) and ‘Static’ (Liverpool). Following several unsucessful bids to occupy properties and retail premises in the city centre, a disused semi-detached Victorian building was offered as a temporary ground for our efforts toward self-organisation.

Despite the canopy of Caucus and its endorsement of the our project, we were and remain an independent outfit, with all the term’s usual connotations, which is to say, we were broke, or as a journalist writing for a national newspaper, in an unfunny fashion, put it: “high on ideals, low on Prada”. The roles we assumed at first were as cleaners and handymen: we had to rectify ten years of dereliction and restore the grand interior to a habitable state. As Sarah’s journal puts it: “the dust was thick, the kitchen didn’t exist and there was this room packed floor to ceiling with bits and pieces of creche material, and it smelled. We didn’t have running water, only five working plug sockets and on day 3, we negotiated an electricity supply that nearly jeopardisied the whole plan”. Repairs and adjustments were ongoing throughout our stay. On the 8th of July 2005, a beautiful Summer’s day, we opened the doors to the public with offerings of tea and cake. Inside the house was an installation, presented by Invisible Pilots entitled White Benches. The work gathered personal, theoretical and sceptical debate about the social control of public/urban space. Invisible Pilots incited the spread of a compatible form of socialbility through (re)deploying benches around Cork’s inner city and facilitating the ‘direct experience’, in Debord’s terms, of human relations.

The work was presented in a room on the first floor that had become Sibyl’s hub where she worked ceaselessly, pursuing investigations into bird flight and air traffic. Our aspirations owed a lot to this sucessful start in July, but we were duped (possibly by our own enthusiasm) into thinking that this capacious building was entirely at our disposal for further events involving the public at large. 

The project’s climax for us was to curate an exhibition of work made in response to the house. Tweleve artists had been alloted with space and a date fixed in September, but regreetfully the whoe tedious matter of insurance-related issues poisoned its realisation. In short, it never happened.

Particular works however, were finished before the event was pulled. Performance artist, Catherine Harty, made use of our defunct basement; artist Mike Hannon shot a video piece, Candle; and Jacqueline Galvin identified every plant and weed in the overgrown mature garden, discovered their medicinal and mythical attributes, ear marking each shrub with a bow of bright red wool. The perimeters of Parkville (VillaK)  were spashed with conspicuous colour.

VillaK’s most pertinent achievement was something akin to a sucessful exercise in democracy, as was Cork Caucus itself overall. We maintained a domestic situation in a bockety old house that was at the same time conducive to a working atmosphere. The physical aspect of establishing a project space within a domestic dwelling initiated an interesting dialogue between the domestic and artspace, everyday rituals often merging with the project’s activities within the house . The many people that visited, ate and worked within the house  propelled our efforts towards an alternative public artspace within the city, the front door effectively remaining wide open for the duration of the Summer.  So many people pooled ideas in that space, from art concepts/practicalities to how to cook mackeral.

            The output during our residency amounted to two group shows in Cork and Galway – Form Gallery (September ’05) and ArdBia  (October ’05)- and the production of five editions of Karnival magazine (a free publication of cultural commmentry). In addition, Sarah prepared for further study in a masters program at NCAD, Martin conducted research into Arte Povera for his MPhil. in Art Historty at UCC, Sibyl produced a substantial body of new work, Helena developed new strategies for illustration and Doireann focused on furthering her lens based practice, exhibting in Ireland and Britain.

The project’s occupation of the house in Montenotte came to an adrupt end in early December ’05, when the driver of a bulldozer, while leveling the trees of the property, notified us that redevelopment had commenced. An alternative space is being sought.

 

//TimFurey, SM, SOB.  2005