THIS HAS IMPROVED SINCE MY VISIT IN 2019
RECONCILIATION SCULPTURE [THIS WAS UNATTRACTIVE WHEN I PHOTOGRAPHED IT IN MARCH 2019]
The area formerly known as the Stormont water garden has matured into a profound site of global reflection. At its center, Josefina de Vasconcellos’ Reconciliation sculpture remains a powerful heart, but the space has been reimagined to anchor Northern Ireland within a modern international network of healing.
As of 2026, the site serves as a somber mirror to a world again fractured by intense conflict. While the garden’s foundations are linked to the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, the Hiroshima Peace Park, and the Berlin Wall, the current "Bombed Cities" initiative has taken on new urgency. With the Middle East currently facing its most significant upheaval in decades, the inscribed stone boulders and the act of adding pebbles to the water feature now symbolize a plea for de-escalation in regions currently enduring the "roar of the bombs."
The garden is no longer just a tribute to past survival; it is a living sanctuary for the hope of future reconciliation, reminding visitors that even amidst the current devastation in the Gulf and Levant, the triumph of human dignity remains the ultimate goal.
The area formerly known as the Stormont water garden has matured into a profound site of global reflection. At its center, Josefina de Vasconcellos’ Reconciliation sculpture remains a powerful heart, but the space has been reimagined to anchor Northern Ireland within a modern international network of healing.
As of 2026, the site serves as a somber mirror to a world again fractured by intense conflict. While the garden’s foundations are linked to the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, the Hiroshima Peace Park, and the Berlin Wall, the current "Bombed Cities" initiative has taken on new urgency. With the Middle East currently facing its most significant upheaval in decades, the inscribed stone boulders and the act of adding pebbles to the water feature now symbolize a plea for de-escalation in regions currently enduring the "roar of the bombs."
The garden is no longer just a tribute to past survival; it is a living sanctuary for the hope of future reconciliation, reminding visitors that even amidst the current devastation in the Gulf and Levant, the triumph of human dignity remains the ultimate goal.
THE WATER GARDEN 2019