New Tipperary artwork with intriguing phrase ‘it is the way it is…was…will be…is it?’ unveiled
A new artwork featuring the words “it is the way it is…was…will be…is it?” has been installed around the café building at Thurles Market Quarter.
The phrase wraps around the building in yellow powdercoated metal cuts as part of a piece called Flowing Places, which was commissioned by Tipperary County Council and completed by German-born artist Anja Buchheister, who is now based in Templetuohy.
The writing is a take on the everyday phrase “it is what it is”, according to the council, with the artist using phrases collected during interviews with local people to create a sentence that questions the narrative in a playful way.
“The artwork marks the place with successive statements and questions, flowing around the building in an endless loop,” a statement from the council said.
“Flowing Places takes the viewer back to local history, makes them contemplate what place means to them today and what it could look like tomorrow,” the council added.
Ms Buchheister said that the research for the piece made her think about the constant evolution of public spaces.
“What we see when we are in a place is what we see now – this is our perceived reality. But this reality has been formed by the people who have been here before us, and it will keep changing and evolving,” she said.
The piece questions the constant evolution of places. © Anja Buchheister / VG Bild-Kunst
The piece was funded by the Per Cent for Art Scheme and developed in cooperation with Thurles Municipal District.
The newly refurbished café building was once part of the farmyard at nearby St Patrick’s College, and had many functions over the years.
Ms Buchheister studied old maps of the area and drew from interviews with local residents.
“She learned about the horse breaker getting horse-drawn carriages ready for the priests, about the various socio-economic and historical functions of the sheds and stables, and many more memories connected to the history of this particular place,” the local authority added.
The German-born artist is now based in Templetuohy. She has a diploma in Sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and a diploma in Graphic Design from the University of Applied Sciences in Mannheim.
Her work is exhibited in Ireland and Germany..
Thurles Market Quarter hosts a weekly market, offering a mix of handcrafted products, artisan food and fresh produce. The One19 Coffee House provides hot drinks and refreshments, while the newly-installed marquee allows for outdoor activity all year round.