Ardú

A Street Art Initiative celebrating Cork city’s traditions, history, resolution, and art.

12th October - 31st October 2020

Various Locations, Cork City

Featuring street murals by Shane O’Driscoll, MASER, Deirdre Breen,

Peter Martin, Garreth Joyce, James Earley and Aches

Cork City Council Arts Office and Creative Ireland are delighted to support a new art festival, Ardú, which takes to the streets and alleyways of Cork city throughout October. Ardú Street Art Initiative arrives with the intention of injecting colour, vibrancy, and life into the city and aims to unite the Leeside community through art, lifting its creative energy at a time when it needs it most.

The festival programme welcomes seven of Ireland’s most respected and renowned street artists: MASER, Shane O’Driscoll, Deirdre Breen, Peter Martin, James Earley, ACHES, and Garreth Joyce, to create works at key city centre locations, in response to a theme inspired by the 1920 Burning of Cork.

Ardú - the Irish for ‘Rise’ - bases itself on a theme of nostalgia and celebration. Cork City rose from the ashes 100 years ago, the city now faces the challenge to rise again, and this theme of rising will be reflected in the artwork created throughout the festival. A celebration of Cork city’s traditions, history, and resolution.

Providing a safe space for observation, conversation, and inspiration, the murals will add to the cultural landscape of the city centre by revitalising the areas of the city they inhabit. Over the coming weeks, the murals will appear at Harley’s Street, Wandesford Quay, The Kino, Anglesea Street, 61 North Main Street, Kyle Street, and Henry Street.

Ardú is the brainchild of visual artist and designer Shane O’Driscoll, muralist, stained-glass artist and secondary school teacher Peter Martin, and organiser of the annual Cork Graffiti Jam, Paul Gleeson, and made possible with generous support from Cork City Council and the Creative Ireland Jobs Stimulus Package.

Speaking about the festival, co-organiser Shane O’Driscoll said: “Myself, and fellow organisers Peter and Paul, believe that street art is the ideal medium for the times we live in. We’re delighted to present Ardú to the public, in a safe space where they can interpret the murals outdoors, and at a social distance, from each other.

Importantly, these pieces of art will serve to remind people that despite what is going on in the world, creativity and art can still bring communities together.

At a time when we face shared and personal challenges, each of our artist’s mural is a rallying cry to the city - a call to remember that we have been through terrible times before and we rose up. We can do it again.”

Michelle Carew, Cork City Arts Officer stated “While trying to deal with the challenges that a life on lockdown presented us with we sought shelter in the arts – immersing ourselves in creativity helped us deal with the unfathomable. Cork City Council is therefore delighted to support Ardú as a means of re-invigorating our city in a safe space whilst also exploring the phenomenal story that was Cork in 1920 and now.”

According to Tania Banotti, Director of the Creative Ireland Programme “The Creative Ireland Programme is delighted to support Ardú a project that resonates with the energy and community spirit of the people of Cork. We welcome this very public expression of resilience and creativity and can't wait to experience the outcomes of the project for ourselves.”

Ardú Street Art Initiative will take place across Cork city from 12th - 31st October. For full details, visit www.corkcity.ie/ardu

Ardú Street Art Initiative is kindly funded by Cork City Council and Creative Ireland.