An Chluain | Clondalkin Monastery Road

“[…]r sancte Trinitatis et sancti Cronáni filii Lugaedón”

Historical Context

The village of Clondalkin has its origins in an early Medieval monastic settlement located on the river Camac. While the presence of the settlement is still evident in the round tower, local place and road names, most of the historic architectural features no longer remain. The town land name of Clon- or Cluain, generally translated as ‘meadow’, also described a monastic enclosure, hermitage or an area of sanctuary. The local saint associated with the settlement, Crónán mac Bécáin, son of Lugaid, also known as Mochua of Clondalkin, (d. 637), was an associate of St. Kevin of Glendalough (note nearby St. Kevin’s Well). He is mentioned on the inner cover page fragment of the 9th. C. ‘Karlsruhe Calendar’ (Cod. Aug. CLXVII, Augiensis 167, BLB, Karlsruhe), a manuscript compiled from various pages and fragment in Ireland, possibly in Glendalough. Crónán’s feast day is celebrated on the 6th August, although omitted from the list of saints in the manuscript calendar.

Architectural features of early medieval monasteries included round towers, oratories, cross slabs and sundials, the latter often placed in a raised area contained by dry stone walling: the lucht. Early buildings were most certainly of timber construction. Corner posts of these early timber churches and oratories later evolved into gable antae of subsequent stone buildings, finished with skeuomorphic butterfly finials, which resemble bird shapes.

Sacral objects used in these early settlements included reliquiaries, house shrines, croziers and handbells. The latter are fairly unique to Ireland, made from the 6th C. in bronzed iron and later in cast bronze.

Artistic Concept

The proposal aims to invite inquiry and curiosity by bringing the hidden archaeology and intangible heritage of Monastery Road into the open, emphasising Clondalkin’s monastic heritage.

The proposed gateway sculpture An Chluain for Monastery Road draws from the historic, cultural and natural environment of the area: the 8th C. monastic settlements on the fish-rich Camac River. The abstract sculpture is composed of three elements on raised, landscaped mounds; the three elements align at a certain point.

1. Two slender, upright elements, forming a distinctive, contemporary gateway over a new pathway. The design is informed by the monastic architecture of Irish early medieval oratories and house shrines while also referencing existing local features such as the 8th C. round tower. Water texture and the salmon-shaped top finials signify the salmon-rich river Cormac which provided an important food source for the early monastery.

2. A ‘door’ element in Cor-Ten weathering steel, also suggesting a medieval manuscript with calligraphic text of a medieval manuscript. Crónán of Clondalkin is mentioned in the Karlsruhe Bede, which provides the imagery for the back-lit, CNC-perforated calligraphy.

The semi-abstract form emphasises Clondalkin as a modern place to live, creating a contemporary landmark visible from the road while being accessible to pedestrians via a newly created path. The raised mound on which the sculpture is mounted references a lucht - a raised central area in early monastic sites on which upright markers and high crosses were set.

Sculpture Materials

The surfaces are shaped in gilding metal (CZ101, also termed architectural bronze, a 90% copper/zinc alloy) by an ancient and now rarely-used direct metalworking process: repoussé - alternative heating and hammer-forming. This process will allow for a substantially-sized sculpture within the given budget while at the same time offer a sustainable and low-carbon approach to public sculpture. Materials are of highest specifications, ensuring best practice for public art. Architectural bronze together with internal 304L stainless steel, is a classic sculpture combination with proven permanence in the urban environment, giving a design life of several hundred years. The orange-brown patina of the door element,, suggestive of aged manuscript vellum, contrasts with the green/blue of the sheet bronze gateway and gilded highlights and details (gold leaf). Bronze surfaces are textured to resemble rippling water. The repoussé process is evident in many medieval objects found in Ireland, making it particularly relevant for the historic theme of this artwork for South Dublin. Unlike cast bronze sculpture produced in a commercial foundry, the sculptor is involved in the all manufacturing processes.

Dimensions

‘Gateway’ elements: 3.20m x 0.50m x 1.50m

‘Door/manuscript’ element: 1.90m x 0.70m x 0.15m

Sustainable Processes

The project’s estimated embodied energy is 30GJ, the carbon footprint 2.75t CO2e, all materials have a design life of several hundred years. The repoussé process uses less than ⅓ material and energy than conventional casting. A detailed Environmental Policy is accessible on www.holgerlonze.com

Fabrication