Lough Boora Parklands

This Friday, 25th September, will see the launch of the latest sculpture from Alfio Bonanno, a renowned Italian artist, in Sculpture in the Parklands at Lough Boora.

A pioneer of the site-specific nature installation, Alfio Bonanno works with nature’s own materials to create his truly-landmark works. Bonanno is heavily involved with environmental and ecological issues, and in 2009 he created the CO2 CUBE Project in Copenhagen, to coincide with the COP15 Climate Change Conference. This ecological mindset fits well with the philosophy of Lough Boora Parklands.

His latest sculpture, which won’t be named until it is completed, embraces this concept of making use of nature to the full. The sculpture is based on 5 circles rising into the sky, ranging in diameter from 7m at the bottom, to 2m at the top. The sculpture is also an impressive 7m high, and its outer structure consists of large pieces of natural wood resting on the round framework. The circles of the interior represent the rhythms of the sky and the landscape, rotating and wheeling around each other. This sculpture has been positioned close to the wetlands, in order to capture the vitality of the water. At its centre, the sculpture has a standing stone and also some sitting stones, to allow time and space for contemplation within art. This sculpture is auditory, as well as visual in nature, as visitors will also be able to hear the sound of running water through the sculpture, depicting the energy of the earth and nature.

Bonanno has been in residence at Lough Boora Parklands since September 6th and this residency has been funded by EU Culture and Education programme, Trans Form Actions; Bord na Mona, University College Dublin, Lough Boora Parklands Group and Sculpture in the Parklands.