Giant sculpture to be located in Liffey

@Paul Clerkin wrote:

Building Design
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=437&storycode=3094179

I was quoted in that. But my puncuation had to be corrected dammit.

Did anyone go to this, any pictures of models?

Proposed Dublin Docklands River Liffey Sculpture Lodged for Planning

Dublin: Thursday 13 December, 2007: The Dublin Docklands Development Authority has lodged a planning application with Dublin City Council for the proposed sculpture on the River Liffey by the artist Antony Gormley.

The submission follows a series of public consultations and includes a detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), prepared in accordance with Environment Protection Agency guidelines and in consultation with relevant bodies and agencies.

Since announcing the proposed public art commission in August 2007, the Docklands Authority has held ongoing consultations with the local community and local representatives. In addition, a number of open days were held prior to the submission of the planning application.

The work has been commissioned by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority as a key element in the delivery of the overall Docklands Arts Strategy. Its open weave design will allow light to permeate through and will allow visibility in all directions. Antony Gormley described it as being “like a charcoal drawing against the sky, changing as your position changes in relation to it”. The sculpture will appear different depending on where it is viewed from within the city and depending on the light levels at different times of the day and in different seasons.
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The proposed sculpture is to be sited in the river adjacent to the Sean O’Casey Bridge, on the axis of Lombard Street East/Westland Row. It is a 46 metre high figure, 12 metres across at its widest point. The sculpture is to be an open lattice structure made from fabricated steel. Painted black and unlit, it would be placed on a single pile driven to the bedrock.
Specific boat collision protection measures would be provided to protect against any damage. The structure design also takes account of deflection, wind impacts and robustness requirements.

Paul Maloney, Chief Executive, Docklands Authority said that four alternative locations for the preferred sculpture were assessed and that the final site was chosen because of a number of factors.

”It is positioned at a point between the old and new development areas of Dublin City and on a prominent site when viewed along the Liffey Corridor and along one of the main thoroughfares down to the River Liffey. It is also at a location where north/south and east/west pedestrian movements intersect.

“In addition, the proposed site allows the sculpture to be viewed against the skyline within an area of Dublin that has low rise buildings on both sides of the river and it does not interfere with navigation on the river Liffey” he said.

Subject to planning permission, construction is likely to start during 2008 and will take one year. The on-site construction period would last for three months. The structure would be fabricated and assembled in its entirety off site. It would then be cut into between four to six sections for transportation to the site by either barge or road. It would be assembled on site and the sections welded into place. A crane would be placed on the campshire and a piling barge used to drive the single main pile to the bedrock. It is proposed that a number of mitigating measures would be put in place during the construction phase to minimise any disruption.

The planning submission states that, once completed, the proposed sculpture is likely to have a beneficial effect on the resident, visiting and working communities from the enhanced urban landscape and visual impact.

Any representations regarding the planning application should be made within five weeks of the submission in writing to: Executive Manager, Planning Registry and Decisions, Dublin City Council, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8

@ctesiphon wrote:

At least we now know why there was a height cap in the Docklands- so we will be able to appreciate a single piece of sculpture without annoying buildings cluttering up the vista. If only they’d told us this ten years ago, we could have saved ourselves so much hand wringing…

ah you’re on form today:)

I think the particular policy you’re referring to is in the 1999 City Development PLan, Appendix H, Section .4.23.45.iii. ; The Inevitable Blandness Offset Clause

How much are you betting JC Decaux have their eyes on this for a few ads?

We’re still struggling for a name though aren’t we.

Eh seeing it won’t be a problem cgcsb, although this small pic from breakingnews.ie shows it looking up, Has there been a change? One of my gripes was how miserable he looked.

@JoePublic wrote:

When I went to the public consultation day, the pictures did appear to show that the statue had been turned around to face into the river rather than the quay.

I did see a render of it when it was first proposed, where it was looking down facing the houses on the south bank of the liffey. Can’t for the life of me find it now

ah. So it has changed. To be honest, if it looked up across the north side of the city as shown on the pic i posted above, I would be far more in favour of it. A bit more of a positive message than a miserable stickman that seems to be peeing in the river. But crikey it’s massive all the same!

DDDA’s waffle about the low rise buildings makes sense now, but how will it look with U2 tower, Point Village and the NCC Hotel around, let alone the redevelopment in the future of Poolbeg. The miind boggles

Hopefully it will be abandoned altogether. Its really awful. All for the regeneration of the docklands but we really don’t need this yoke in the Liffey. It says.. nothing. Here’s a thought – let the River be its own feature. It doesn’t need a rubber duckie.

Just like the spire I think the core issue is it dosent represent anything whether it be Irish history,culture,arts whatever, its just there for the sake of it,possibly to add some juice to a v bland area that was originally meant to be something different.

the only thing this represents is the me too attitude of the DDDA.

Oh look we haven’t got a Gormley quick lets get one, throw in your Calatravas, Liberskind, Foster etc al it’s just a shopping list. Someone tell them we haven’t got a Gehry and he’ll be next on the list