Navigators
Holger’s public sculpture piece at Maghery explores navigation and traditional boats on Lough Neagh. Early on in the Art in the Wetlands project it became obvious that there is an urgent need to nurture existing, but now declining craft traditions in the South Lough Neagh area, such as basket making and traditional boating. Subsequently the artistic strategy of the project was aimed towards this issue. As a first attempt to implement the strategy, artwork as well as community work of this first phase focused on boat making and traditional fishing vessels of the area. The proposal for this second phase builds on work of this initial residency during 2004. It not only continues and develops already established lines of enquiry into fishing and boat use on the southern shore of Lough Neagh, but extends into an area that is less visible and known to lough users other than fishermen: the navigation on the lake with visual markers and landmarks.Two standing over life-size bronze figures hold four iroka timber oars, each of which pointing in one direction of the compass rose.
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Environmental Impact |
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Client: South Lough Neagh Regeneration Association (SLNRA)
Project: Art in the Wetlands (2004-2009)
Management: Emma Wilson, CBC and Mary McAlinden, SLNRA
Site: Maghery, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland
Foundry: Willie Malone, Irish Bronze, t/a Kilmainham Art Foundry, Dublin
Assistance: Jonny McKerr; Eamonn Twomey (concrete base and fitting), James Walshe and John Jackson (thanks for the forklift!)
Oars: LNBHA, with thanks to Eamonn, Mark and Geoff
Budget: £25,000 materials + artist's residence fee
Installation: 29/30 July 2010
Material: recycled bronze, brown patina; timber oars
Process: Lost-wax and ceramic shell from original plaster pattern
Dimensions: 7ft high; oars 12ft high
Carbon Emmission: 5 tons (est.)
Embodied Energy: 35,000MJ (est.)
The project was funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (Lottery funded), Craigavon Borough Council, Lough Neagh Partnership/DARD, European Structural Fund and SLNRA.
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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. The project used approximately 35,000MJ of energy in processing the metal. The project produced a total of 5 tons of CO2 emissions.
Any work produced in bronze, like most technosphere material, consumes significant amounts of energy and raw materials. However, the material has proven to be one of the most durable in our material culture with a permanence of up to 5,000 years so far. As with any environmental audit, such as lifecycle analysis or embodied energy value (EE), the time-factor needs to be included as a main denominator in the equation. Good environmental practice was considered throughout the production process.
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