ALL FORMS OF PUBLIC ART

Featuring All Forms Of Public Art

Sony 90mm Macro Lens

WAVE BY ANGELA CONNER AN IMPRESSIVE EXAMPLE OF PUBLIC ART IN PARK WEST DUBLIN

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LEGACY PHOTO COLLECTION 2017

I have fact-checked the information provided in various accounts and corrected the height of the sculpture, which is 39.3 metres, not 35.3 metres as sometimes reported.

Park West in Dublin is home to a striking piece of public art: Wave, a towering sculpture by renowned English artist Angela Conner FRBS. Standing at a remarkable 39.3 metres (129 feet), it claims the title of Europe’s tallest wind and water mobile sculpture.

Crafted from polystyrene coated in layers of carbon resin, Wave’s elegant form is anchored to a 7.6 metre (25 foot) deep pit filled with 9.5 tonnes of lead. This ingenious design allows the sculpture to gracefully sway and respond to the wind, creating a captivating spectacle of movement and balance.

Angela Conner, a celebrated sculptor with a global presence, is known for her dynamic works that often incorporate natural elements like wind and water. Her impressive portfolio includes large-scale sculptures displayed in public and private collections worldwide.

Interestingly, the initial inspiration for Wave came from observing saplings in Vermont. Conner was fascinated by their ability to bend and sway in the wind while always returning to their centre, a concept she found both visually and philosophically compelling.

Did you know? At the base of the sculpture, jets of water create a delicate spray that, when caught by the sunlight, produces a shimmering rainbow. This adds another dimension to the artwork, further connecting it to the natural world.

THE BASTARD SON OF SISYPHUS A SCULPTURE BY ORLA DE BRI

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THE INFOMATIQUE 2017 LEGACY PHOTO COLLECTION

Because of intrusive street furniture and as I had to shoot into the sun this was much more difficult to photograph than I had expected.

This striking sculpture, “The Bastard Son of Sisyphus”, by Orla de Brí, is located in Park West, Dublin. It offers a contemporary interpretation of the Greek myth of Sisyphus, condemned to eternally push a boulder uphill only to watch it roll back down. De Brí’s work captures the futility of Sisyphus’s task, reflecting the often- Sisyphean nature of modern life.

The sculpture features an 8ft high bronze figure, backed by imposing limestone megaliths, standing above a stepped waterfall. He contemplates a 5ft bronze sphere below, symbolising the burden we continually strive to overcome.

Unveiled on 21st October 1999, at the Park West launch day, the sculpture is unfortunately somewhat marred by its surroundings. Intrusive street furniture and the presence of high-tension transmission pylons detract from the artwork’s impact. Photographing the piece also proved challenging due to the position of the sun, which created difficult lighting conditions.

Further Information:

To learn more about the artist and her work, please visit www.orladebri.ie.

Photographing into the Sun: Challenges and Solutions

Photographing a subject when the sun is directly behind it presents several challenges:

Silhouettes: The subject is often rendered as a dark silhouette against a bright background.
Lens Flare: Light can scatter within the lens, creating unwanted artefacts and reducing contrast.
Dynamic Range: The difference in brightness between the subject and the background can exceed the camera’s capacity to capture detail in both.
Possible Solutions:

Change Position: If possible, reposition yourself to avoid shooting directly into the sun.
Use a Lens Hood: This can help to block some of the extraneous light causing lens flare.
Filters: Graduated neutral density filters or polarising filters can help to balance the exposure.
Exposure Compensation: Dial in positive exposure compensation to brighten the subject.
Shoot in RAW format: This allows for greater flexibility in post-processing to recover detail in highlights and shadows.

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