A striking ribbon of yellow now sweeps around the new café at Thurles Market Quarter, carrying with it the voices of the past, the questions of the present and the possibilities of tomorrow.
Thurles.Info has already highlighted the work of talented artist Ms Anja Buchheister, despite previously being unable to identify the artist by name. Our sincere thanks, therefore, to Ms Esther Griffin, (Research Assistant with the Tipperary Arts Office), for bringing the artists name and her magnificent new public artwork, once again, to our attention.
Pic: Anja Buchheister.
Created by artist Ms Anja Buchheister, “Flowing Places” is far more than an architectural embellishment. It is a compelling meditation on memory, change and our relationship with place. Wrapped around a building once belonging to the farmyard of nearby St Patrick’s College, the artwork transforms a historic structure into a living conversation between generations.
Cut from powder-coated metal, its words unfold in an endless, thought-provoking sequence: “it is the way it is … was … will be … is it? …”
With this playful reversal of a familiar expression, Ms Buchheister challenges passive acceptance.
Is a place simply what it is – or is it also what it was, what it may become and what its community chooses to make of it?
Pic: Anja Buchheister.
The artist’s research reached deep into Thurles itself. Old maps and conversations with local residents revealed layers of memory embedded in the former old early 19th century agricultural machinery sheds. These recollections helped shape an artwork that honours the people who came before, while recognising that every landscape remains in motion.
Like the nearby River Suir, the words flow continuously around the building. There is no fixed beginning and no final conclusion; only an invitation to pause, remember and imagine.
Originally from Wolfenbüttel, Germany, Ms Buchheister now works from her studio in Templetuohy, Thurles. Drawing on her training in sculpture and graphic design, she has created a poetic intervention that is simultaneously bold and delicate, deeply local and universally resonant.
“Flowing Places” is a magnificent addition to Thurles Market Quarter; an artwork that does not merely occupy public space, but awakens it. It celebrates heritage without trapping it in the past and turns an evolving corner of Thurles into a landmark of curiosity, creativity and civic pride.
Commissioned by Tipperary County Council under the Per Cent for Art Scheme and developed with Thurles Municipal District, the work stands as a powerful reminder that public art can do more than decorate a place, it can give that place a voice.
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