Michael Moynihan: The most unlikely buildings have potential to create an artistic boom

If the only people who can afford to be artists are those with the independent financial resources or family money, then our notions of art become narrower

Odlum’s building, Cork: Not the most aesthetically pleasing building but it has the potential to be much more. Picture: Larry Cummins

Over the weekend I read an interview with Debbie Harry of Blondie, who was happy to reminisce about her old stomping ground (and era), New York in the seventies.

One of the memories she retained of an edgy time — it was when policemen in the city handed out flyers to newly-arrived tourists headlined WELCOME TO FEAR CITY — was a happy one: impoverished artists could carve out a space in the city where they could write, paint, perform, or do whatever the muse suggested.