Sculpture in the Parklands
Lough Boora Parklands
Co. Offaly
Ireland

Sculpture in the Parklands- Vision

The vision for Sculpture in the Parklands is to inspire artists to create artworks in response to the unique landscape of the cut away bog at Lough Boora, Co Offaly, Ireland.

Sculpture in the Parklands- Aims

To commission significant artworks, both permanent and temporary by Irish and international artists.

To build an awareness of the arts within the community, educational institutions and business community through public participation and interaction.

Sculpture in the Parklands- Background

The first artworks were commissioned in 2002 through a symposium where seven Irish and international artists worked over a three week residency. Eight site- specific sculptures were created during the symposium and they form the nucleus of the project. The intervention of the symposium artists has added another layer of engagement for visitors to the area, by combining visual and conceptual interpretations of the geography, landscape, industrial history of peat harvesting and the people who had lived and worked there. An artist was engaged to document the symposium through photography and DVD and his work has been exhibited in print and on the Sculpture in the Parklands website.

The success of the symposium led to the formation of Sculpture in the Parklands which is managed by a Steering Committee led by representatives of the main stakeholders: the arts; Bord na Móna, (the national company established to develop Ireland’s peat resources) and members of the local community. Artists from Ireland, Denmark, USA and the Netherlands have been commissioned to make permanent and temporary work in 2005 and 2006. The internationally renowned artist Patrick Dougherty has been commissioned to create a major new art work in 2008 when Bord na Móna hosts the International Peat Conference in Ireland.

Sculpture in the Parkland is open to the public as a source of inspiration, study, recreation and education. The long-term goal of Access for All (a national disability access programme) was implemented in 2004 and will be further developed in the future with new walkways providing further wheel chair access.

The vision for Sculpture in the Parklands is to continue to invite Irish and international artist to create significant site specific works of art while living in the community as artists in residence. In addition to permanent sculpture and time- based work, the project has a commitment to commissioning video artists, composers, choreographers, and performance artists to interpret and document this unique landscape, folklore and industrial history etc.

The Landscape

The landscape in which Sculpture in the Parklands is situated has an extraordinary past. Lough Boora Parklands is an emerging habitat for flora and fauna that is being formed on cutaway bog. Some of the oldest traces of human activity in Ireland date from Lough Boora. Here, in the 1970s, evidence was found of Mesolithic people, dating from about 9,000 years ago. For these hunting gatherer people this landscape was rich in sources for survival. As time moved on, the Mesolithic culture was replaced by the Neolithic farmers who in turn were succeeded by the Bronze Age people. The development of the bogs through 'vegetational succession' saw vast areas of the midlands covered in bogland. The past had been hidden, buried under metres of bog.

The post-industrial landscape of cutaway bogs that now exists in the Lough Boora Parklands is a landscape unusual in Ireland, flat land reclaimed by native scrubland, flowers, animals and birds. Now, standing on a bank or on the roadway you can look across a landscape for miles. There are virtually no vertical elements in this landscape. In some ways, this landscape has returned to the vegetation and contours of the time that followed the tundra period immediately after the ice age.

Achievements and plans

Key Partners

Bord na Móna
During the 1940s and 50s Bord na Móna - the Irish Peat Board, was set up to "develop Ireland's peat resources". Since its establishment it has purchased thousands of hectares of peatland and now owns approximately 7% or 80,000 hectares of Ireland's lowland bogs. Once considered an economic wasteland these bogs have been turned into a commercial enterprise; peat is milled for energy production, harvested for horticultural products and commercial fuel production.

This intervention in the landscape is on a large industrial scale. Bord na Móna supplied the ESB peat stations whose buildings and cooling towers dominated the landscape around Boora for years. The generating building at Ferbane has been dismantled and the distinctive cooling towers which stood alongside have been demolished.

Milled peat continues to be harvested at Boora to supply the Briquette processing plant at Derrinlough and the new West Offaly Power station at Shannonbridge. Some peat is also transported from Boora to Bord na Móna's horticultural processing plants. It is envisaged that large areas of cutaway will become available over the next 10 to 20 years. At present, however, significant tracts of bogland remain in the midlands and while the working of the bogs has scaled down, there is still considerable activity on the part of Bord na Móna in the area. Part of its operations is located at its workshops in Boora, very close to the Lough Boora Parklands office. Here, a range of machinery, equipment and other materials are manufactured, serviced and maintained.

Lough Boora Parklands Group
The Lough Boora Parklands Group was established when the Boora Enterprise Group comprising a group of Bord na Móna employees, was expanded to include local community representatives from the surrounding towns and villages of Kilcormac, Ferbane, Cloghan and Leamore/Leabeg. The aim of the group is to work together with other partners to insure that Lough Boora Parklands is an integrated resource providing amenities for the local population and visitors.

Offaly County Council
Offaly County Council has continued it’s strong support of the Sculpture in the Parklands The arts office co-fund the annual artists in residency programme and are in the process of developing an education programme for the Parklands.

The Arts Council
The Arts Council provided considerable financial support to help fund the artist’s fees and accommodation during the 2002 International symposium. They have continued their support by co-funding the annual artist in residency programme.

The Nature of the Art

The nature of the art commissioned will reflect the criteria for the commissions. The first symposium included international and national artists and this policy will continue. The first symposium also encouraged artists to use natural materials and materials associated with the working of the peatland. An arts sub-committee consisting of Irish and international artists has been established to focus on further development of the artistic intentions and procedures of Sculpture in the Parklands

In order to reflect the breath of contemporary visual arts practise it is proposed that:
• Sculpture in the Parklands will continue to develop work in the area designated by Bord na Móna.
• Sculpture in the Parklands will continue to commission work by Irish and international artists.
• Emerging as well as established artists will be considered for commissions.
• Temporary as well as permanently sited work will be included.
• Use of any materials will be permitted (subject to Health and Safety Guidelines).

Selection Procedures

To date, the selection of artists has been undertaken by the Sculpture in the Parklands arts sub-committee which is composed of Irish and international artists and curator. At this early stage in the development of Sculpture in the Parklands it is considered vital to preserve the coherent and focused vision of the project and it is intended to continue this method of selection process until it is fully established. The heavy administrative and management burden involved in limited or open competition (for the selection of artists) is a further factor in the decision to directly select artists.

Proposals

The project will accept proposals from artists for consideration. These should be presented in the form of a short written proposal, visual documentation and a C.V.

The Per Cent for Art Scheme

Sculpture in the Parklands intends to explore with Offaly County Council, the possibility of commissioning artworks for the project under the Per Cent for Art Scheme in operation by the local authority. Sculpture in the Parklands will require that work commissioned through this process meet the criteria established by the project. It is considered essential that representatives of Sculpture in the Parklands would sit on selection panels for work commissioned through the Per Cent for Art Scheme.

Briefs, Guidelines and Contracts

• The importance of clearly worded artists briefs and guidelines is recognised by Sculpture in the Parklands
• Contracts have been drafted which are designed to protect both the interests of the commissioners and the artist. All artists will be required to sign contracts before commencing work and will have to supply evidence of personal accident insurance.

Process

The original collection of works was created during the International Sculpture Symposium with the assistance of Bord na Móna staff and the use of the workshops. In September 2004, Marion O’Donnell also made a work on site over a three- week period with this support. In discussions with Bord na Móna it has emerged that this level of sponsorship and support cannot be delivered each year. Sculpture in the Parklands (in association with Bord na Móna) therefore proposes to manage its commissions so that:
• Only offering the sponsorship and support of Bord na Móna workshops, personnel and machinery every two years.
• Facilitating artists who require fabrication or use of materials in any other year, to hire time in the workshops and pay for materials out of the materials budgets.
• Commissioning artists who wish to make temporary work and do not require the use of the Bord na Móna workshops.

Audience

Audiences are considered to be an important aspect of the project. This includes the local community as well as visitors from other parts of Ireland and abroad.
• Local people will be encouraged to engage with the project on an ongoing basis and particularly during future symposia and residency programmes.
• Development of an education programme will engage the youth to look at their rich environmental and industrial heritage.
• It is a long-term ambition to create links with a third level art education facility or college.
• International audiences are engaged through our website and publications.
• Conferences and lecture opportunities introduce Sculpture in the Parklands to a broader audience of artists, archaeologists, art historians and curators.
• Artist in Residency programme provides new works of art on a yearly basis.

The Visitor Experience

At present the sculptures have been placed in reasonably close proximity to each other thereby facilitating an easy tour of the artworks. In addition these are integrated with the landscape so that it also becomes part of the experience. Emphasis on the quality of the visitor experience will continue to be a priority. This will include:
• The opening of access for people with disability in 2004
• Ongoing liaison with the organisers of the Offaly Way.

Management

Acting Director: Kevin O’Dwyer

A Steering Committee has been established which consists of:

Kevin O’Dwyer Chairman, Symposium initiator/artist
Seamus Barron Lough Boora Parklands Group/ Kilcormac resident
Mike Bulfin Artist/ Sculptor
Marcella Corcoran Kennedy Public Representative- Offaly County Council
Tom Dolan Belmont Mills Artist Studios/Businessman
Tom Egan Bord na Móna/ Ferbane resident
Tom Feighery Public Representative: Offaly Co. Council
Sean Ganely Lough Boora Parklands Group/ Boora resident
Gerry McNally Bord na Móna
Ruairí Ó Cuív Curator and Art Consultant
Brendan O’Loughlin West Offaly Partnership
Jørn Rønnau International Artist/ Environnemental artist
Sinead O’Reily Offaly Arts Officer


Resources and Finance

Sculpture in the Parklands has succeeded in gaining support from partners in the form of ‘in kind’ sponsorship and funding. The continued support of existing partners and the development of new ones will be a focus of the management of Sculpture in the Parklands

Priorities

Sculpture in the Parklands has identified the following actions as priorities for development. A number of these actions are central to the success of the project and therefore require ongoing intervention. Others relate to the further development of partnerships and once-off actions.

Objective Timescale