Taken from the Impartial Reporter, 29th May 2008

Less public eyesores, more public art

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

Waterways Ireland’s new Headquarters in Enniskillen is a bit of an eyesore. There’s something slightly hypocritical about an organisation that’s very much up for the nurturing of water, nature and the environment; ripping up the ground along Lough Erne’s edge and replacing it with a pile of bricks. The colossal waste of space on the Sligo road looks big and bulky; a multitude of construction overlooking the busy road blocks out the rather nice view of the town and lake behind it. (If of course, you ignore the back of the Lakeland Forum which isn’t exactly postcard material). It’s a similar obstruction on the opposite end of the river too.

But Waterways Ireland’s HQ isn’t the only building that infringes on Enniskillen’s picturesque landscape; the recently built Fermanagh House commanded quite a large chunk of the much liked Broadmeadow - previously home to dog walkers or thugs drinking cider. It may just be a plot of grass but it, like a lot of the County’s prominent areas are the real local gems and slowly but surely, getting torn apart and replaced with unsightly buildings. Remember the Clinton Centre row anyone? The controversial design was panned by locals and has still yet to be endeared to by most.

I like the idea of innovative buildings, just not when they are at the cost of something more valuable to Fermanagh – like its lakes, which are part of our global success. Without them, Fermanagh would be one big traffic jam, sandwiched in between fast food restaurants and dozens of money-grabbing apartment blocks. So, shame on Waterways Ireland for forcing tourists to walk further to find that perfect holiday snap.

What Enniskillen needs more than suitably placed revolutionary structures is imaginative and original public art. I like art a lot and the scope with displaying art in the public domain is far greater than the constraints you get with other forms of the subject. With public art, you can site, stage or exhibit any works to be accessible to all – monuments, statutes, lighting, seating, fountains and even graffiti – although I quite duly, “draw” a line at offensive scrawls across public buildings.

Typically ingenious, public art can say more about a place than anything else and there are many places in Enniskillen that art in some form would, benefit, refresh and brighten up the area – it just needs a bit of thought, planning and of course, permission. Bear that in mind, before you grab your paper, paints and sticky-back plastic, eager to follow in the illustrious brushstrokes of Michelangelo, Picasso and modern day public artist; Banksy.

Although, I can’t help thinking that through the artistic trend of “surrealism” in capturing the element of surprise and liberated imagination, creating a 20ft papier-mâché Siamese-cow in purple wellington boots and placing it on the Diamond would look more appealing than some of the ridiculous offerings currently cluttering up Fermanagh. Any public art suggestions on the back of a quaint Waterways Ireland postcard please. Incidentally, they don’t actually “do” postcards to my knowledge, but there’s nothing like concluding an opinionated piece with a cheap cynical dig…

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