Table Service is a joint exhibition that presents the design process behind Urban Mirror, a public sculpture project by Germany-based Irish architects Plattenbaustudio, alongside Hold, a collection of objet d’art designed by Ireland-based studio ROJI. It takes place in Cologne – a place twined with the city of Cork – which will be the site of Plattenbaustudio’s Urban Mirror sculpture in August-September 2024.
Urban Mirror is the result of an invited design competition by Cork City Council (Ireland) for their new Island City Sculpture Trail. Plattenbaustudio’s winning submission was completed in autumn 2023. The presentation in Cologne will exhibit the design process behind this public artwork, including working drawings and models as well as photos of the completed project in Cork. Plattenbaustudio will also be presenting a new 10×3 metre drawing describing the area in Cork city where Urban Mirror is located.
Hold is a collection of playful, functional forms designed by Steven McNamara of ROJI. It is the result of a self-directed project, whereby Steven explored his insights into the capabilities of Irish craftspeople, having curated and showcased the best of Irish craft and design in Ireland and internationally since founding ROJI in 2012. The objects were developed through an iterative process that centred around commissioning many of Ireland’s leading craftspeople to produce prototypes.
Table Service is being facilitated by the Städtepartnerschaft Köln-Cork (Verein zur Förderung der Städtepartnerschaft Köln-Cork e.V.)
Opening reception 23rd of August at 17:00, all welcome.
The exhibition will be open for the duration from Wednesdays to Sundays 1-6pm.
Admission is free.
Plattenbaustudio has extensive experience in presenting their work both in Ireland and abroad: at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin (2023), Glucksman Gallery, Cork (2022), Akademie der Künste, Berlin (2022), Irish Architecture Foundation, Dublin (2021), Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2019) and the Irish Embassy, Berlin (2019), among others. The studio regularly undertakes the design, production and coordination of exhibitions, for example the series of CoLab exhibitions, consultations and public events run from 2020-2022 on the topic of the site of the former Magdalene Laundry on Sean McDermott Street in Dublin, or the first solo exhibition of artist Sonja Hamad’s photographs of Yazidi women from Northern Iraq and Syria, presented in Berlin in 2018.
ROJI is a design studio that primarily specialises in designing and producing exhibitions. Since founding ROJI in 2012 Steven has successfully managed projects of all sizes and ambitions across the world. These projects have encompassed exhibitions with million-euro budgets for corporate clients such as Alltech in Kentucky, to annual showcases of the best of Irish craft and design on behalf of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland at international design events in London, Paris and New York. Other clients include the National Museum of Ireland, National Museums Northern Ireland, Dublin City Council, Butler Gallery, Office of Public Works and Enterprise Ireland.