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North Of The Liffey

RESTLESS – LIFFEY LOVE BY RHONA BYRNE

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MADE FROM PLASTIC RECOVERED FRON THE LIFFEY

Restless: Liffey Love – A Sculpture Born from the River’s Embrace

Dublin’s River Liffey has long been a source of inspiration and a vital artery for the city. Now, it’s also given birth to a unique piece of art, one that serves as a powerful reminder of the need to care for our environment.

“Restless: Liffey Love” is a striking new sculpture unveiled on the banks of the Liffey. What makes it truly special is its origin: it was created entirely from recycled plastic waste pulled from the river itself.

Artist Rhona Byrne was inspired to create the piece after taking up sailing during the Covid lockdowns. She spent time on the Liffey Sweeper boat, witnessing firsthand the tireless efforts of the Irish Nautical Trust to clean up the river. The plastic collected over eight months was transformed into the colourful polymer material that forms the sculpture.

This collaborative project involved Dublin City Council, the Irish Nautical Trust, Paltech (a polymer engineering company), Billings Jackson (urban design firm), and SteelSmith (engineering and fabrication). It’s a testament to what can be achieved when different groups come together with a shared vision.

The sculpture’s launch was a joyful occasion, with the Liffey Loves singing group performing songs they’d written especially for the event. Deputy Lord Mayor Donna Cooney, who leads the group, was also on hand to officiate.

“Restless: Liffey Love” is more than just a beautiful artwork. It’s a celebration of community, a call to action for environmental responsibility, and a testament to the power of creativity to transform even the most discarded materials into something meaningful.

EMBRACED LOOP BY ANAISA FRANCO

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THE CONCRETE SHELTER AND THE CORTEN STEEL SCULPTURE

I included the concrete shelter in some of the photographs even thought they have no obvious connection other than their location.

The Embraced Loop, by Anaisa Franco, is a poignant and significant sculpture located in the People’s Gardens within Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland.

Here are the key details about this remarkable monument:

Purpose and Symbolism: The Embraced Loop serves as an HIV and AIDS NATIONAL MONUMENT. Its design expresses solidarity with everyone, both past and present, who has been affected by HIV and AIDS.

The sculpture aims to:

  • Show solidarity with those currently living with and affected by HIV.
  • Remember those who have lost their lives to this devastating disease.
  • Celebrate the lives of those who fought bravely and supported others.
  • Mark their contribution to society.

Design and Aesthetics:

  • The sculpture takes the form of an abstract loop.
  • It creatively incorporates the Red Ribbon, which is universally associated with HIV/AIDS awareness.
  • The loop symbolises interactive approach and the interconnectedness of all those impacted by the epidemic.

Unveiling and Significance:

The Embraced Loop was officially unveiled in the Phoenix Park. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar expressed its importance, stating that it would permanently reside in the People’s Gardens.

The monument serves as a powerful reminder that the struggle against HIV/AIDS is ongoing, and we must continue to act and support those affected.

Anaisa Franco is an award-winning artist who pioneers participatory public art with a mission to activate the body and public spaces through an interactive approach. Her studio specialises in parametric digital fabrication and technology integration, creating experiential, self-sustainable organisms. Graduating with a Masters in Digital Art from the University of Plymouth in England, UK, in 2007, Franco has developed digital work at Medialab Prado (2008) and currently works as a New Media artist at Applied Future Studio in Berlin. Her work combines creativity, technology, and community engagement to create meaningful and impactful installations.

TODAY IS USED THE SONY 85MM LENS

The Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM lens is an absolute gem for portrait photography.
Let’s dive into the details:

Image Quality: The lens ticks all the right boxes for portraiture on a full-frame camera. With its 85mm focal length and fast f/1.4 aperture, it excels at isolating the main subject against a beautifully blurred background. The image quality is stunning, and the bokeh is wonderfully soft and dreamy, even when stopping down a little. The lens features a very well-rounded 11-blade diaphragm that contributes to the pleasing bokeh.

Build and Handling: The build quality is rock-solid, and the lens is weather-sealed. It’s part of Sony’s flagship G Master (GM) lineup, which means top-quality construction. Notably, it includes a customisable focus-hold button and an aperture control ring with a ‘de-click’ option for smooth transitions during video shooting.

Optical Design: The optical path incorporates a high-precision XA (eXtreme Aspherical) element for enhanced bokeh quality. Additionally, there are three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements to boost sharpness, contrast, and reduce colour fringing.

Performance: Autofocus, based on a Linear SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor), is fast and near-silent. Sharpness is excellent wide open at f/1.4 and becomes stunning when stopped down slightly. The lens also features Sony’s nano-structure AR coating to minimize ghosting and flare.

Price: It’s undeniably a pricey lens, but its performance more than justifies the cost.
In summary, the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM is ideal for top-quality portraiture and still-life photography. Whether capturing people or objects, this lens delivers outstanding results.

The Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM lens has garnered acclaim for its optical excellence, but it’s not without a peculiar issue related to autofocus noise.

Let’s delve into the details:
Focus Noise: Some owners [including myself] have reported an unusual noise when the lens focuses. Descriptions range from a coffee grinder-like sound to a scraping noise. This issue was particularly prominent in the lens’s early days, around 2016-2017. You can find discussions about it on forums like SonyAlphaForum, Fredmiranda, and Dpreview.

Scratches Inside the Lens: In a few cases, this autofocus noise seems to have caused scratches inside the lens. While not widespread, it’s essential to be aware of this potential concern. I did not notice this issue.

Comparisons and Observations:
Roger Cicala from LensRentals conducted some preliminary investigations:
Noise: All the lenses exhibit some noise during focusing, with varying levels of loudness. Most likely, this noise comes from the motor (possibly Piezo motor noise).
Inner Barrel Markings: Over half of the lenses have markings on the inner barrel when the focusing element is retracted toward the mount. These markings could be lube or scrapings in the plastic.
Dust: Like many wide-aperture 85mm lenses, the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM has some dust particles inside, which is typical and not unique to this lens.
Lube Streaks: No lube streaks on inner elements were observed.
Metal Shavings: The inner barrel doesn’t appear to be metal, and no dust particles resemble reflective metal shavings.
Noise Consistency: After focusing back and forth 500 times, there was no noticeable change in noise.

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