John Reardon
England
I chose Sarsfield House, the Office of the Collector-General, Tax Clearance Section. I really liked this building and how you could see it on entering the city from Sarsfield Bridge. I had a good meeting with them, during which I showed them a book on contemporary art. They seemed very interested. When I phoned the next morning they said no. They said they had good reasons to refuse me and that they had taken the decision democratically. I chose the second building, Cahill May Roberts, a wholesale pharmaceutical company. I liked the design of this building and how it was now derelict. The City Council said no because the building was due for demolition and this was going to happen any day now. They said this was unfortunate. I chose the third building, Limerick City Gallery of Art. This is located in the historic Carnegie Building, a 1906 neo-Hiberno-Romanesque-styled building in the Georgian area of the city. It is the main e v+ a exhibition venue. The Gallery said no because the work might damage the façade of the building. The e v+ a committee proposed the fourth building, Merriman House, the offices of Murray Ó Laoire Architects, a dynamic firm of architects and planners. Hugh Murray, chairman of the e v+ a committee said that I could use the building and I rethought the work accordingly.
(Text: too early for vacation catalogue, 2008)
Back to Artists