August 2021 was wen I first came across this site-specific artwork presented as part of the Mardyke 300 celebrations. I revisited in May 2022. The photographs from August 2021 were reprocessed using DX0 NIK 5 Collection.

2019 marked the 300th anniversary of the construction of the public recreation area of the Mardyke in Cork city. To mark this unique moment in the city’s history, the Glucksman invited artist Deirdre Breen to create a large scale artwork at the site of the original bandstand in front of the UCC Ceremonial Gates on Western Road.

Bandfield is presented on the façade of a former ESB substation, one of many such modernist structures built between 1948-1951, and which is currently used as a bicycle shelter. The small building is directly adjacent to the place where the original Mardyke bandstand was located in the 18th century.

As part of the design process, the artist worked with the Glucksman and local musical groups to identify musical patterns and shifts in the way we experience music in public spaces. The final artwork transforms an overlooked public structure into a vibrant artwork and along with a free programme of music events, celebrates the Mardyke’s long history as a civic space and venue for outdoor performances.

Deirdre Breen is an Irish artist who lives and works in Cork. After graduating from the Limerick School of Art and Design in 2008 with a degree in visual communications, Deirdre worked for the next few years as a creative designer in London and Dublin. In 2016 Deirdre developed her printmaking practice and exhibited throughout Ireland. Her practice focuses on form and colour by playing with abstract geometric compositions and colour theory.