Formal Voyage

"Irish maritime traditions such as curach making have long been an inspiration for my work as a sculptor and maker. Boats, sails and waves are archaic images which I use in my work - for me they are metaphors for the human urge to explore and travel. My sculpture, like the work for Portrush, explore the interaction of form and volume of natural and man-made objects."

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The Sculptor

Holger Christian Lönze is a bronze sculptor based in West Cork. Born in Westphalia, Germany, he trained as a furniture maker before studying architecture in Detmold and lithography and sculpture in Belfast, where he also completed a PhD on perception of time in sculpture. While researching design-for-sustainability for The Eden Project in Cornwall, he became interested in Irish craft and folklife traditions and curachs in particular.

Holger’s sculpture work centres around the interaction of people with their cultural and natural environments, with the sea being a recurring theme. Curach and boat building are other aspects of his work which directly inform his practice as a sculptor. Recent public commissions include works for Armagh City and District Council, Lough Gur and N7 tunnel and M7 motorway, all Co. Limerick with Deiseal and Maghery, Co. Armagh. He has exhibited widely in Ireland and Britain and has work in private and public collections.

Holger's Website | Email Holger

The Making Team

Bards, Wizards and Magicians

A special thanks to all the contractors, makers and volunteers that helped to complete the work in the short timeframe of six weeks:

James Walshe - Apex Engineering, Coalisland Tyrone. Steel and metal fabricator; organisation and solving any problems which are new in this world...

Vincent Fitzpatrick and Uniqrete Ltd., Mountrath. Sulptural and free-formed concrete work; making the white terazzo base.

Donal Lynch, structural engineer, Horgan Lynch Ltd., Cork. Structural advice.

Pat Hughes - experienced builder; in charge of foundations and fixings.

Joe Kavanagh - experienced welder; stainless steel welding, plasma cutting, assembly.

Alan Milligan - Fermanagh-based artists, bashing the sheets and annealing.

Enda Treanor, Treanor Electrical Contracts - elctrical contractor, lighting

Declan from Joe Devlin Engineering, Columbcille. Welding the support discs

Declan (a different one.) for getting the thing up the road...

Steve Lally - storyteller with the Armagh Rhymers - in charge of the schools workshops programme.

Gemma Reid, organizing and supporting the school workshops.

Alan Jeffers and Peter Thompson, Coleraine Borough Council for keeping things moving...

Sally Jones, text and proofing

Eilish Walshe - hospitality, great sandwiches and dinners!

A big thanks to Robin Ruddock for his advice and for 'watering' the sculpture!
Thanks to Eamonn Campbell for the loan of the telehandler.
Thanks to all the PG McCann staff and subcontractors.