Longest Way Round, Shortest Way Home

During a temporary closure, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios partnered with Dublin Port Company on two solo exhibitions by Yuri Pattison and Liliane Puthod at The Pumphouse, surrounded by the active logistical operations of a thriving city port.

Yuri Pattison’s site-specific installation, dream sequence, was located in the disused 1950s Pump House No. 2, made accessible to the public for the first time. The former graving docks, where ships were repaired and maintained, was the site of Liliane Puthod’s Beep Beep artwork.

The exhibition’s title, Longest Way Round, Shortest Way Home, was drawn from James Joyce’s ubiquitous Ulysses. Characteristically elusive in his meaning, Joyce’s use of this popular idiom hints at a circuitous route back to one’s origins. The phrase itself is often used to describe the relationship between time and labour and, in the case of this exhibition, there are further associations with journeys, departures, homecomings, and new beginnings. These scenarios all resonate with the functions of Dublin Port, as well as Joyce’s own embedded experience of the city, the river and Dublin Bay.

TBG+S took this opportunity to celebrate connectivity between the cityscape and the Port, imagining a journey along the River Liffey from the gallery and artists’ studios in the touristic heart of Temple Bar, along the quays through historical, financial and cultural areas to the industrial heritage zone of Dublin Port.

The graphic identity was inspired by nautical charts and flags; the circle signalling 'Altering Course to Port' – a gentle nod to TBG+S's off-site move to the port – and the stripes signalling 'Am Dragging Anchor'; announcing the arrival at its temporary home at the port. Key points were identified in defining and designing wayfinding for the project; guiding the public through the busy port infrastructure using a combination of billboards, large vinyl tarps and panels. A large format, 2-colour double-sided visitor guide accompanied the pair of exhibitions.