TEST SITE

TEST SITE is a collaborative urban research project co-created by architect Ailbhe Cunningham and artist Aoife Desmond. The project works at the intersection of art, architecture and ecology.

Located on a vacant 'island' at Kyrls Quay in Cork City, TEST SITE functioned as a community space and outdoor venue over the summer months of 2021. The project space was complete with a purpose-built, wooden pavilion constructed under the principles of the circular economy, and informed by the industrial heritage of an adjacent sawmill. It also housed 'An Choill Bheag', a small native woodland that was planted by the organisers and local residents.

A beautiful and important space for Cork City and its dwellers, the project hosted art installations, performances and a programme of seminars that considered how we can collectively plan the future of our city.

For the visual identity, we created a logo that was informed by the plant ecology and environmental cycles of the site. This was accompanied by a series of botanical illustrations inspired by cyanotypes, one of the oldest photographic printing processes in the history of photography. This technique was traditionally used for reproducing the technical drawings of architects and engineers until the arrival of photocopy machines. This illustrative approach was fitting considering Aoife's background in film and film curation, and Ailbhe's work as an architect. Together we created a flexible identity system that the project team could use to bring the space to life and engage local audiences.

A magical project and a great example of how we can engage with unoccupied spaces in our city, and become part of the change we want to see.