32
Public Art Roundup
Visual Artists' News Sheet | March – April 2018
ART OUTSIDE OF THE GALLERY
Drop
John J. Hearne
Artist: Eimear Murphy Title of work: Drop Site: Sculpture Garden, Dublin Port Company Commissioning body: Dublin Port Company Date sited: 20 September 2017 Commission type: Private Project Partners: Dublin Port Company, Roadstone Concrete, DBFL
Artist: Elizabeth O'Kane Title of work: John J. Hearne, Architect of the Irish Constitution 1937 Site: Cathedral Square, Waterford City Commissioning body: Waterford Treasures Museum Date advertised: April 2017 Date sited: July 2017 Budget: €15,000 Commission type: Public Project partners: CAST Foundry, Stephen Burke, D15 Stone Studios
Description: Drop is a sculpture by artist Eimear Murphy, which is permanently installed in the ‘sculpture garden’ of Dublin Port Company, located on Alexandra Road, Dublin 1. Made of concrete, the sculpture presents a visual paradox to the viewer: it appears to be sinking into the ground under it’s own weight, whilst also seeming to emerge from the earth, traveling upwards. With the piece, Murphy aims to question architectural perspective by pitting two-dimensional lines against a sculptural surface. Both soft and hard edges interplay with one another to create varied and surprising viewpoints. The sculpture’s abstract form aims to evoke visual touchstones from industrial – and specifically – maritime environments. Drop is imagined for a redeveloping Dublin Port, which has a long history of utilitarian concrete. As such, the artwork is set beside its equivocal material, but it is also set apart through Murphy’s artmaking process.
Description: John J. Hearne (1893 – 1969), was the architect of the 1937 Irish Constitution, the first Irish Ambassador to the United States, from 1950 – 1960, and Irish High Commissioner to Canada, from 1939 – 1949. Born in Waterford City, Hearne was a barrister and a diplomat. As American ambassador, he famously started the tradition of presenting shamrock to the American President on St Patrick's Day. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the drafting of the Irish constitution, sculptor Elizabeth O’Kane was commissioned by Waterford Treasures Museum to create a bronze portrait bust sculpture of Hearne. The sculpture was unveiled to the public in July 2017 by Minister for Justice and Equality, Charles Flanagan, TD. The sculpture was modeled from clay by O’Kane from a selection of reference photographs of Hearne during his life and career, and cast in bronze at CAST Foundry, Dublin. It is hoped a bronze replica will be installed in the Irish Embassy in Washington DC later this year.
