Holger Lonze, Red Baron Angel, 2010ibhne, plaster for bronze, 2008

Miniature Urban Art

"Big is not always better for work in the public domain, although small intimate work is rarely commissioned nowadays. Such scale is appropriate for this subject: gargoyles are shy creatures hiding at great height while the nature of guardian angels is not to be seen."

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Armagh Miniature Street Art

The project is part of a public art programme of a major urban regeneration scheme to re-vitalise eleven streets in Armagh City Centre. It was funded by Armagh City and District Council, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Department for Social Development. Twenty-two bronze gargoyles and angels were installed in June 2010 at a range of urban locations, such as house corner stones, in brick walls, door knockers, attached to fencing, etc. The character and design of the individual pieces reflect the architecture of their setting and the history of a specific location, i.e. street names, in shape and texture. The pieces also incorporate objets trouvé, recreations of the shapes of objects found on the urban street of our times, such as coins, water bottles, car parts, boots, nuts and bolts. This adds a distinctly contemporary element to the interpretation of the theme. The work is deliberately small and intricate in scale: these angels and gargoyles are meant to be discovered by accident and bring with them an element of surprise. The first angel was cast during a demonstration in March 2010 at Emain Macha - Navan Fort near Armagh using Iron Age metal working methods.

Download a printable double-sided PDF file of the pieces and locations here (draft).

Commission Information | Environmental Impact | Scroll down for Images of the work

Commission Information

Project Website: www.gargoylesandangels.info

Client: Armagh City and District Council

Management: Cathie McKimm, CMS (Cultural Management Services)
Site: Armagh City, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland
Foundry: Artist's studio
Assistence: Dubhlteach Ó Colmáin; James Walshe (Apex Engineering), Co. Tyrone;
Support: Sally Jones (texts)
Budget: £25,000
Installation: June 2010

Material: recycled bronze, green speckled patina
Process: Lost-wax and clay moulds from original clay patterns
Dimensions: Variable, 4-16in

Carbon Emission: 0.8 tons
Embodied Energy: 2,600MJ

The Gargoyles and Angels project has been a collaboration between Armagh City and District Council, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Department for Social Development.


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Holger Lonze, Coin Chewer Gargoyle, bronze, 2010
Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010
Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010
Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010
Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010
Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010 Holger Lonze, Gargoyles and Angels, Armagh, bronze, 2010    

Armagh Miniature Street Sculpture

Please roll over the thumbs to enlarge the sculptures and to learn about the context and locations of the work. All are cast in bronze and are between 4in and 16in high.

 

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Environmental Impact

Embodied Energy and CO2 Emissions

Owing to the high durability factor of the sculpture work, the outcomes contain very low embodied energy throughout their life cycle over a long lifetime. A 100% recycled bronze has been used together with moulds made from abundant locally sourced materials. An average of 80% of all waste materials are recycled and re-used again in the process. This kept the total embodied energy input in the actual production process very low.

The project used approximately 6,500MJ of energy in processing and sourcing the materials. Spread over 22 sculptures, this averages 295MJ of embodied energy (EE) per item. The project produced a total of 0.8 tons of CO2 emissions, the majority of which accounted for travel and LPG.

Download the full Environmental Impact Assessment as a PDF file.

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