Posted: 29 July 2008
Campus Artwork
Iphegenia, by Tom Glendon.
Trained as a mason, Thomas Glendon is an Irish artist, who specialises in sculpture, letterform, ecclesiastical work and design in stone, wood and bronze materials. His work is included in a number of private collections in Ireland and abroad.
The sculpture Iphegenia is named after the only daughter of Armemnon who was sacrificed to allow the Greek fleet sail to troy. This marvellous piece of upward moving linear granite sculpture is expressive of the earthbound soul moving to the afterlife.
The granite is sourced at Walsh's quarry in a Dublin mountain setting overlooking the city. Its unique size of mica and hardness makes it an excellent material for sculpture form and longevity when exposed to the elements. Whilst achieving a degree of elegance in an otherwise unyielding material, the piece’s main accomplishment is to create an elegant sculpture from the innate masculinity of the granite.
Although being located in Belfield for a number of years, Iphegenia has recently been relocated to a more prominent position within the campus. Its new location outside the UCD Restaurant affords the sculpture a position of eminence within the campus.
Hibernia and Lord Cloncurry, by John Hogan.
Born in Cork in 1800 and originally trained as a carpenter, John Hogan was encouraged to become a sculptor by the architect Sir Thomas Deane. Under his guidance, Hogan was sent to Rome, where he studied and set up a successful gallery.
John Hogan was a leading Irish Neo-Classical Sculptor of his day, and was one of Irelands' greatest sculptors.
Hogan assured his international reputation in 1829 with his sculpture The Dead Christ. Thereafter, his creations were eagerly awaited by Irish bishops visiting his Rome studio.
Hogan was pronounced by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorwaldsen as "the best sculptor I leave after me in Rome."
Hogan’s work Hibernia and Lord Cloncurry, which dates back to 1844, was initially located at the UCD Lyons Estate in Co. Kildare. In more recent times, this magnificent marble piece was on display at The National Gallery.
UCD are pleased to announce that this magnificent Neo-Classical sculpture, which reflects the political and historical sensibilities of the time is now located in Belfield House. This original period house has been completely refurbished and acts as the home to the UCD Clinton Centre for American Studies.
This marble masterpiece is a key feature to UCD’s growing catalogue of artwork and sculpture.
Wisdom by Daniel de Chenu
Daniel de Chenu was born in Dublin in 1961. He started his career as a documentary photographer, and he has adapted his work, and now utilises a range of different materials.
His exhibition work now includes photography, video, sound, text and sculpture. Daniel has had solo and group exhibitions in Ireland and abroad and collectors of his work include Microsoft, Guinness, the Office of Public Works and the University of Salamanca.
De Chenu’s bronze sculpture located in front of the UCD Quinn School of Business was created from the concept of questioning what it means to be a learner in a learning environment.
The flat surfaces open the inside of the form to the outside world. It is suggesting that to learn and gain wisdom one should have an open and receptive heart and an open and reflective mind.
De Chenu's work 'signifies a wider connection to landscape representations in art history and raises questions relating to mythology, romanticism and notions of the picturesque.
The sculpture which was donated by Professor Michael MacCormac and his wife Pat was unveiled by UCD President, Dr Art Cosgrove in November 2003.
Noahs Egg by Rachel Joynt
Rachel Joynt is an Irish sculptor who has created some of Ireland’s most prominent public art.
Joynt is preoccupied by the historical texture of place and in her work she often seems to expose or memorialize the past as a substrate of the present.
Noah’s egg is a giant cast bronze sculpture and it represents the beginnings and potential of life, and symbolises both the field of veterinary medicine and the scholarly pursuits and ambitions of the Veterinary students and staff.
An interesting feature of this piece of artwork is that it is an interactive sculpture. It is decorated with small holes, which create a planetarium-like effect when viewed from the pointed end. The Egg’s shell is ornately textured with sperm-like shapes of various creatures including man, bull, rabbit, guinea pig, rat, mouse and hamster.
Located Adjacent to the UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, at night, Noah’s Egg is illuminated by a warm red glow.
To facilitate the next phase of the UCD Science Centre, Noahs Egg has been moved to temporary storage. The project team will be developing a landscape plan for the overall precinct which will incorporate the re-introduction of this beautiful and engaging piece of art, which has become synonymous with the Veterinary School, the wider campus and the UCD Sculpture Trail. It is anticipated that the re-introduction of this piece will be completed in 2013
Newman’s Razor by Brian O’Doherty/Patrick Ireland.
Although born in Ireland, and qualified as a doctor, artist Brian O’Doherty has been based in New York since 1960. He has become one of the pioneering figures of Irish conceptual art from the mid-1960s onwards.
Heavily influenced by Marcel Duchamp, O’Doherty is an essentially interrogative artist, constantly questioning artistic conventions and the assumptions on which we base our aesthetic judgements.
O‘Doherty has used Ogham to produce a large series of drawings and sculptures, since the late 1960’s.
Newman’s Razor (1970), is one of O‘Doherty’s Ogham sculptures.
Located adjacent to the UCD Restaurant, the sculpture is a free-standing column extending to a height of 335cm. It is inscribed with a progressive series of Ogham numbers on the stainless steel cladding.
Part of its title refers to Cardinal Newman, the first rector of the Catholic University of Ireland which opened in 1854 and was the precursor of UCD.
The second part of the title refers to the medieval scholastic philosopher, William of Ockham. O‘Doherty, was attracted to Ockham’s reductivism, which reflected Le Corbusier’s ‘Less is More,’ sentiment.
On of its most prominent features is that the changing environment surrounding the work, including its viewer, becomes part of its subject matter, as with the rotation of light, the sculpture appears to become a mirror of nature.
