A huge 50-seater community table has been installed on Cornmarket Street

There’s room for everyone at Cork’s new community table.
The latest installment in the Island City Urban Sculpture Trail has been unveiled on Cornmarket Street.
Urban Mirror, by plattenbaustudio, is a beautifully crafted large table with an atmospheric light that will provide a sculptural pavilion in a cultural corner of the city centre.

Jude Carew Harte at the unveiling of a new sculpture on Cornmarket Street. Picture: Clare Keogh
Designed by architects Jennifer O’Donnell and Jonathan Janssens and fabricated by Sara Murphy and Frank Prendergast of Space Forms, it is intended to be a space used by the public and was inspired by the Cornmarket Street Market, which takes place every Saturday morning from 10am-12pm.
Made of durable and playful stainless steel, it has 16 fixed chairs and can seat up to 50 people. The yellow globe also provides a warming glow when the sun sets.

Friends Holly Donnacliffe, Laura Sullivan and Megan Buckley. Picture: Clare Keogh
The Irish architects, who are based in Berlin, have a strong connection with Cork. Next year there are plans for plattenbaustudio to exhibit a replica Urban Mirror in Cologne, one of Cork’s twinned cities, as part of the Ireland in Germany 2024 Initiative from Culture Ireland and the DFA.
“We were really inspired by how people interact with everyday things and the cultural environment of Coal Quay,” said Jennifer O’Donnell, co-founder of plattenbaustudio.
“We spoke to people who both live and work in the area and what shone through is how invested they are in their community. Cornmarket Street, or Coal Quay as many still know it, is lively and the people are animated so we wanted to create a space for people to come together.
“We had the idea of an everyday table that we could elevate.”