     
 |
| WHAT
THE ARTISTS SAY ABOUT THEIR WORK... |
|
|
"Lough
Boora Triangle" Jørn Rønnau (Denmark)
|
|
|
A
space for meditation. A small triangular room with a very
special atmosphere. Built around an iron frame, three black,
bog oak trunks form the corners, shaped irregular pieces of
bog wood form the somewhat transparent walls. The narrow entrance
is marked by a triangular serpent stepping plate. Inside is
a seat where visitors will be able to sit looking out of the
narrow entrance toward the horizon.
|
Back to top
|
"Sky-train"
Michael Bulfin (Ireland)
|
|
|
Having
grown up in the area, my abiding memory is of the machines
that Bord na Móna brought in to work the bogs: the
ditchers, ridgers and trains. Looking at a line of peat wagons,
flat on the horizon, I decided to take this image and commemorate
it by translating it into a sculptural context - using the
Bord na Móna trains and wagons in a different plane
- hence the introduction of the ’rainbow’ curve.
To emphasis the train going up into the sky, ditcher wheels
were introduced to form tunnels in the supporting mound so
the light can be seen through it. The engine is a ‘Rustin’,
one of the oldest models and the wagons are of the open creel
type, reminiscent of the creels used to carry turf on horse
or donkey. This piece is a celebration of the Bord na Móna
machines and the men who operated them.
|
Back to top
|
"A
Tree in A Sculpture" Naomi
Seki (Japan)
|
|
|
"We
finally learned to live and let live.
When will the tree grow taller than the sculpture?"
Made from Douglas Fir, the sculpture is 7.2m tall, 2.7m wide
and 5.6m deep. The tree is a birch which is about 3 metres
tall. This tree was chosen as it had to be strong enough to
survive every season in Boora and this type of tree can. The
piece compares the natural and manmade, organic and geometrical
- the breathing and quiet between a tree and a sculpture.
|
Back to top
|
"Boora
Pyramid" Eileen MacDonagh
(Ireland) Assisted by Marc Wouters (Belgium)
|
|
|
I
have always wanted the opportunity to make a large work in
the landscape. The idea of a pyramid was one which evolved
during visits to the site and discussions with Bord na Móna
about the materials available in the area.
Our
work is a stepped pyramid, eight metres wide and nearly six
metres high. It is made from unmortared stone which had been
enshrouded in the growing bogs until revealed once more during
peat harvesting. The pyramid is one of the most stable structures
and has resonance with previous times and cultures.
|
Back to top
|
"Raised
Line" Maurice MacDonagh (Ireland)
|
|
|
Harvested
peat has inherent limitations as a material for Land Art.
It is so vulnerable to erosion as to be unstable, yet it is
the core substance of Lough Boora. This led me to the idea
of containment - to create a container for the harvested peat
within a form that derives from, and is relevant to, the landscape
of Lough Boora. Everything about Boora is essentially horizontal
in form: the peat works, machine paths, rails, roads, even
the waterways are linear and it is to this I refer with the
form of my piece - a 100 m long galvanised steel container
to be filled with harvested peat. At just over a metre high
it will stand as a line in the landscape, in the same way
that old peat beds have left lines over the years.
|
Back to top
|
"60
Degrees" Kevin O’Dwyer (Ireland)
|
|
|
While
walking in Boora during a winter afternoon I was fascinated
by the strong directional light and the shadows it cast on
the landscape. I decided to use equilateral triangles of decreasing
size to create a series of silhouettes on the landscape in
constant change.
The Boora area has a strong industrial heritage from its association
with Bord na Mona. I decided to fabricate my sculptural pieces
using the materials associated with this tradition and use
the expertise of the Boora workshops. The armatures for Triangles
#1 & # 3 were fabricated from mild steel. Railway sleepers
from a disused Bord na Mona railway line were cut, fitted
and bolted into place using fishplates held the railway line
together. Triangle # 2 was fabricated from stainless steel
and textured to provide a strong contrast to the other pieces.
The sculptures were assembled on site and held in place using
railway line that once facilitated the travel of the bog train
along this landscape.
|
Back to top
|
Symposium
Photographer James Fraher
(USA)
|
|
|
Documenting
the Lough Boora International Sculpture Symposium is an exciting
project as I follow the progress of six sculptors as they
create their work. The bog in Ireland is a place where I have
created many photographs during my visits to Ireland. Spending
three weeks "on the bog" doing documentary photography
and video could not be more rewarding.
|
Back to top
|
|
