THE ECHOING BELOW SCULPTURE BY HOLGER LONZE
THE ECHOING BELOW SCULPTURE BY HOLGER LONZE [AT CITY QUAY GARDENS IN BELFAST]
Sculpture: Echoing Below by Holger Lönze
City Quay Gardens, Belfast
Capturing this sculpture during a severe storm in December 2025 proved to be a significant challenge. The raw images were virtually unusable, requiring extensive post-processing to rescue them from the elements. Furthermore, because the installation was so new at the time, identifying the artist and the story behind the work took a fair amount of investigative effort.
The Vision Behind the Work
Installed in 2025 at the newly created City Quay Gardens, Echoing Below is a three-piece public installation by the German-born, West Cork-based sculptor Holger Lönze. The work is a tactile fusion of Irish history and industrial craftsmanship, featuring massive slabs of Valentia slate from County Kerry paired with intricate repoussé bronze elements.
History Suspended in Time
The bronze ship-like forms are not merely abstract; they are based on 19th-century paintings held in the Belfast Harbour Commissioners’ collection. Each of the three segments represents a distinct era of development for the harbour and the city. Lönze’s intent was to create the sensation of "walking on the seabed," presenting these vessels as if they are suspended in time and space.
Poetry in Stone
While the weather initially made the larger plaque difficult to read, it has since been identified as featuring a commissioned poem by Irish poet Paddy Bushe. His verses invite the observer to "Go below" and attune themselves to the ghost-sounds of the historic docks—the creaking of wooden planks and the tension of hemp rope—before "stepping ashore" to rejoin the modern city.
Sculpture: Echoing Below by Holger Lönze
City Quay Gardens, Belfast
Capturing this sculpture during a severe storm in December 2025 proved to be a significant challenge. The raw images were virtually unusable, requiring extensive post-processing to rescue them from the elements. Furthermore, because the installation was so new at the time, identifying the artist and the story behind the work took a fair amount of investigative effort.
The Vision Behind the Work
Installed in 2025 at the newly created City Quay Gardens, Echoing Below is a three-piece public installation by the German-born, West Cork-based sculptor Holger Lönze. The work is a tactile fusion of Irish history and industrial craftsmanship, featuring massive slabs of Valentia slate from County Kerry paired with intricate repoussé bronze elements.
History Suspended in Time
The bronze ship-like forms are not merely abstract; they are based on 19th-century paintings held in the Belfast Harbour Commissioners’ collection. Each of the three segments represents a distinct era of development for the harbour and the city. Lönze’s intent was to create the sensation of "walking on the seabed," presenting these vessels as if they are suspended in time and space.
Poetry in Stone
While the weather initially made the larger plaque difficult to read, it has since been identified as featuring a commissioned poem by Irish poet Paddy Bushe. His verses invite the observer to "Go below" and attune themselves to the ghost-sounds of the historic docks—the creaking of wooden planks and the tension of hemp rope—before "stepping ashore" to rejoin the modern city.
ECHOING BELOW SCULPTURE BY HOLGER LONZE