"Reedpod" (2006) - Cork City
- Sculptor: Eilís O'Connell
Eilís O'Connell said that:
"this piece was inspired by the site's history as a marsh.
Over time, the site evolved from solid earth to city.
I am intrigued by this type of slow transformation, so I tried to imagine the site before man interfered with it and I began to look at the vegetation of native marshland planting.
What I came up with is a kind of hybrid form. There is no such thing as a reedpod and the sculpture derives from studies and drawings of reeds, rushes and pod-like forms"
Reedpod is a 13-metre, three-tonne sculpture situated on Lapp's Quay,
was handed over to the City by property developers Howard Holdings on Thursday 16th Febuary 2006.
Lord Mayor Deirdre Clune accepted the sculpture on behalf of the City of Cork.
The sculpture was unveiled by Colin Dunne and Caoimhe Corkery, pupils of Shanbally National School, Ringaskiddy.
Reedpod is made of quarter-inch thick copper sheeting and is covered with a stainless steel structure that allows it to move slightly with the wind.
It was fabricated in Pangolin Editions Art Foundary in England
Born in Northern Ireland in 1953, Eilis O'Connell studied at Crawford School of Art, Cork and Massachusetts College of Art, Boston.
She has won awards from the British School at Rome and the Royal Society of Arts and undertaken residencies in both France and Spain.
Many of her works are large scale public commissions and include pieces for Cardiff Bay Art Trust, London Docklands and Bristol Docks.
She uses a variety of media and techniques from stone or rubber to steel cord or feathers, from cast metal to sewn fabrications and her inspirations may come from archaeology, architecture or found objects.
O'Connell exhibits widely both in Britain and abroad and her work is held in public and private collections throughout the world.
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