Artists appeal as court services bail

cork | arts and media | news report Thursday April 28, 2005 10:43 by Katie Mythen - Inside Cork Newspaper

Cork's art squatters set their sights on Camden Quay

Cork artists collective One Day have launched an appeal to make use of the vacant former-temporary courts building on Camden Quay. Adding to what has been a sensational week following Inside Cork’s exclusive report on the E761, 842 annual lease of the premises, One Day are the first group to request use of the building until the lease expires in May of 2006.
The group, who will submit their proposal for the space during the coming week, hit the headlines earlier this year when it’s members occupied the derelict former School of Music on Wellington Road in an effort to secure studio space. After carrying out extensive repairs on the red-brick building, the group left when the leaseholders, Cork Institute of Technology, obtained an injunction.
Speaking outside the building on Camden Quay, One Day member, Phillip Cotter said, “On behalf of One Day, we feel that if this building isn’t used for something cultural, at least until the end of the year, it would be a huge waste because it’s in the centre of the city and so close to the Crawford Gallery.”
On maintaining the condition of the building, Ronan Lane added, “We’ll do whatever it takes, we always said that we’ll chip in as much as we can to the upkeep of the building. We’re not looking for grants, of course they’d be handy, but with Wellington Road, we did a lot of the work ourselves, paid for it out of our own pockets and were happy to do so.” Mr Lane also said that, should One Day be allocated space in the Camden Quay premises, the group will be happy to move on as soon as the lease is up.
The Court Services have received a number of enquiries about the vacant building. Eamonn Kiely, Regional Manager, Court Services commented, “It’s not something we’ve considered until recently, but we have had some interest from a number of groups involved in Cork 2005, such as the Midsummer Festival.” On the likelihood of the space being opened to groups, Mr Kiely continued, “It also depends on the types of groups, we are responsible for the building until the lease is up, so we wouldn’t want large crowds in there, and there are also health and safety issues to consider.”