The Lough Boora International Sculpture Symposium was held at the Parklands in September 2002. The symposium brought together a team of 6 international artists to create a series of sculptures using the materials associated with both the natural and industrial heritage of the boglands. My original concept- 60 Degrees- was developed while walking in the Lough Boora Parklands during a sunny winter afternoon. I was fascinated by the strong directional light and the shadows cast on the landscape. I decided to use three equilateral triangles of decreasing size to create a series of silhouettes on the landscape that will interact with each other. The strong architectural forms float on this soft landscape like 21st century standing stones.

The Boora area has a strong industrial heritage from it's association with Bord na Mona. I decided to fabricate my sculptural pieces using the materials associated with this tradition and use the expertise of the Boora workshops. The armatures for Triangles #1 and #3 were fabricated from mild steel. Oak railway sleepers from a disused Bord na Mona railway line were cut, fitted and bolted into place using the fishplates that held the railway line together. The material chosen celebrates the industrial heritage of the area. Triangle #2 was fabricated from stainless steel and textured to provide a strong contrast to the other pieces. The stainless steel celebrates the new use of the cutaway bogs as parkland. The sculptures were assembled on site and held in place using the railway line that once facilitated the travel of the bog train along this landscape.

day 3 in progress

day 10 - 1 in progress

day 10 - 2 in progress

day 12 in progress

final sculpture front view

final sculpture front landscape view

final sculpture front view

Further information on the symposium can be found at www.loughbooraparklands.ie