Public Art

THE ADULT AND CHILD SEAT IN ST CATHERINE’S PARK

July 10, 2023 by infomatique

AN INTERESTING BRONZE SCULPTURE BY JIM FLAVIN

St Catherine’s Graveyard Park also includes a sculpture, Adult & Child Seat by the artist Jim Flavin (1961 – 2004).

Taking much of its form and colour from the headstones in the park, which was formerly a graveyard; this artwork in the form of a bronze curvilinear seat celebrates the continuation of life. The abstract flowing forms of this sculpture are typical of Flavin’s work.

Flavin was primarily an abstract artist, interested in the fluidity of bronze and the forms and textures he could create with the material and patina. He favoured soft, flowing shapes and focused on the different sections of each artwork and the way in which he bought them together to achieve the form and texture he desired. The site of the piece is of particular significance.

As part of the 1988 Sculpture Symposium the selected artists were given a list of sites to choose from and in this case Jim Flavin chose St. Catherine’s despite it not being one of the listed sites.

Jim Flavin was born in Limerick in 1961. He attended the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and the Crawford College of Art in Cork. He then went to live at Lasallian International Art and Culture Centre outside Florence. It was here that the found his true expressive medium and from there on he was fascinated by the art of bronze cast- ing. This fascination soon turned to dedication and following his return to Ireland he founded the Bronze Art Ltd. foundry in Dublin. Flavin was also a member of the executive board of the Sculptors Society of Ireland from 1992-93.

CHAC MOOL BY SEBASTIAN

July 1, 2023 by infomatique

NEAR THE LINCOLN GATE ENTRANCE TO TRINITY COLLEGE

I must admit that I like this … well I like anything that is painted blue. Formally unveiled by Provost Patrick Prendergast and H.E. Ambassador Carlos García de Alba in the presence of the artist on the 18th of September 2015 to mark 40 years of Mexican-Irish Diplomatic Relations

Enrique Carbajal González was born in Chihuahua, Northern Mexico, shortly after the end of the Second World War. The artist adopted the pseudonym ‘Sebastián’ after the painting of the martyred Saint Sebastian by Sandro Botticelli. He is best known for his monumental public sculptures, created using steel or concrete, which can now be seen throughout the world. There are currently four of these sculptures in Ireland, all of which have been generously donated by the artist.

The term Chac Mool refers to a style of ancient Mesoamerican sculpture found in temples and sacred sites throughout Central Mexico. Appearing as a vehicle between man and the gods, it traditionally depicts a reclining figure with its legs bent upwards, resting on its elbows and with its face looking out over its shoulder. This specific type of sculpture was discovered in the 19th century by an archaeologist who named it after the greatest Mayan warrior, Chac Mool. As the artist explains, the colour blue was traditionally used to signify members of the priesthood in ancient frescoes and manuscripts. Although there has been little agreement by historians and anthropologists as to the function or meaning of these ancient sculptures, one interpretation is that they were created to commemorate fallen warriors and allow others to offer gifts to the gods in their memory.

Here on campus, Sebastián’s Chac Mool reinforces a powerful sculptural lineage, associating itself most particularly with Henry Moore’s work entitled Reclining Connected Forms (1969). Moore stated that, from an early stage, he was captivated by Mexican sculpture, particularly by the Chac Mool figure, leading him in 1929 to carve his own Chac Mool in Hornton stone which he later described as one of the key works of his career, from which his renowned reclining figures developed. Sebastián’s turquoise Chac Mool is a vital, contemporary invitation to engage with figure, form, colour and sculpted space within a rich visual arts ancestry.

EVERY TIME I SEE MICKEY MOUSE MISSING AN EAR RATHER THAN THE FAMOUS E=mc2 EQUATION

June 30, 2023 by infomatique

APPLES AND ATOMS BY EILIS O’CONNELL

Apples and Atoms by Eilís O’Connell RHA Celebrating Ernest T.S. Walton 1903-95, Nobel Laureate

In 1932, Ernest Walton and John Cockcroft split the nucleus of a Li (lithium) atom, often termed ‘splitting the atom’. The experiment was carried out in the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, England. Albert Einstein declared that their experiment was the first demonstration of his famous E=mc2 equation.

Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the experiment, Trinity College Dublin invited six artists to submit a design responding to a brief to commemorate Ernest Walton’s research achievements as well as over 30 years of dedication to science education. Eilís O’Connell’s design was selected by an interdisciplinary panel including representatives from the Walton family, the School of Physics, the College Art Collections, the students, and external visual arts professionals.

Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton (6 October 1903 – 25 June 1995) was an Irish physicist and Nobel laureate. He is best known for his work with John Cockcroft to construct one of the earliest types of particle accelerator, the Cockcroft–Walton generator. In experiments performed at Cambridge University in the early 1930s using the generator, Walton and Cockcroft became the first team to use a particle beam to transform one element to another. According to their Nobel Prize citation: “Thus, for the first time, a nuclear transmutation was produced by means entirely under human control.”