The illegally demolished Corkman pub is resurrected as a public artwork

In 2016, Carlton lost one of its oldest buildings when two developers illegally demolished the Corkman Irish Pub (formerly the Carlton Inn). While we can't bring the pub itself back, we can remember it with a new public artwork memorialising the 160-year-old pub. 

'Distant Things Appear Suddenly Near' is a new public art commission from Melbourne city council that recreates the façade of the Corkman hotel. Created by Irish artist, Sean Lynch, who says the artwork directly speaks to the notorious demolition of the building. "'Distant Things Appear Suddenly Near' places an emphasis on objects and understandings of spaces that have been marginalised in the continued growth of the contemporary city," said Lynch. The work also interweaves elements of another pubic work (specifically Hossein Valamanesh’s 'Faultline') and has an accompanying voiceover.

The public work will live for the next 18 months at University Square in Carlton, just around the corner from where the pub itself once stood. 

Here are more public artworks that you should know around Melbourne.