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Above:
Impressions of the sculpture viewed in the street- click to enlarge
Below: aerial view of the area, showing an early proposal
for the lightpath from the garden to the glass pillar.
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Below:
an impression of the Memorial Garden and the mirrors.
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Above:
schematic of the light path at the garden
A: The Sun, whose light is tracked by B: The moving mirror, which
directs it constantly via C: an array of small mirrors,
onto D: the 31 small mirrors on poles.
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Above:
Garden plan.
Below Left: One of the large mirrors.
Below: The latest structural design of the obelisk
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Above left:
First model of the pillar.Note that this model is for engineering
purposes and does not show the heart as it will appear.
Below left:
How a layer of crystal glass cut with the spiral pattern would
fit inside the cavity forming the heart shape.
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Above right:
Architect Desmond FitzGerald with the model made by McGuire Glass
Below right:
The spiral pattern to be used as the basis for a crystal glass
layer inside the 'heart'.
This pattern has a history of use in ancient art to represent
'the descent of the Divine to the World, and the reverse journey'
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"If
they ask you where you come from,
tell
them you come from the light"
Gospel of St. Thomas
"Love.
Yes. Word known to all men."
James Joyce. 'Ulysses'.
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The actual site of the explosion will be marked by a pillar, apparently
of solid glass, about 4.5m high.
Near the top, inside, appears to float a 3-dimensional 'heart' in a
faceted cut-glass style.
The immediate image is that of the 'heart' suspended high in a frozen
beam of light.
Because of its position, the
site is almost constantly in the shade.
In the Memorial Garden, about 300 metres around a corner, large mirrors
which are positioned by computer control will track the sun constantly,
and when it shines will pour constant beams of sunlight onto 31 pole-mounted
small mirrors, one for each fatality.
These mirrors are fixed and directed to bounce the light up the street,
around the corner, and via one more mirror mounted high on a nearby
gable, down onto the heart inside the obelisk.
It should sparkle and glitter gently with the light.
It will be a beautiful and remarkable sight.
The
approach to the artwork was that it could remember and honour the the
victims and offer something to the wider community by attempting to
simply, uninhibitedly and vividly express the enormity of the loss and
the natural feeling, and the outpouring, of compassion for them.
The
idea is a gesture towards redeeming human values
in the face of the atrocity.
The
'pillar', the form of which has been designed, with other elements,
in collaboration with landscape architect Desmond
Fitzgerald who is responsible for the Memorial Garden element of
the project, is influenced both by obelisks and cenotaphs. It will probably
be constructed by laminating, i.e. attaching consecutive sheets of glass
together.
This 'stack' of glass is then wrapped, in the present design, with two
layers of toughened and laminated glass to form a protective outer shell.
In
some of the inner layers will be cut holes with polished edges, designed
so they build in layers to form the faceted cavity of the heart shape
inside. (see illustration)
The
'heart' -the ancient and universal verbal and visual symbol of the 'core'
or essential element of things, including the Human Being, of compassion,
and of fidelity- will be partially crafted by Tyrone Crystal, but incorporated
into the pillar using very modern technology.
In
the middle of the faceted heart, which is based on the cutting of diamonds,
will be a layer carrying a pattern based on the fibbonaci spiral, as
seen in the centre of sunflowers, for instance, in spiral galaxies and
elsewhere in nature. This pattern has an ancient history of being used
to represent the descent of the Divine to the World and the reverse
journey.
On the larger scale, the work also draws attention to our place in and
under the cycles of the cosmos and also to the optimistic-but-true reminder
that even in the dark we know that the Sun will rise again.
Though apparently complex, the moving-mirror technology is already existing.
Sun-tracking mirrors are known as known as 'heliostats', and a suitable
off-the-shelf system
will be adapted by a German firm.
Developed from high-end positioners for satellite dishes, they are driven
by a small box of electronics programmed to track the sun daily for
the next forty years. They operate very quietly for a fraction of a
second every 20 seconds to keep in position.
They are very sturdy and reliable and have been in use for years already
at many sites.
A layer of coloured glass or dichroic coating may be added to the inside
reflecting planes to heighten their beauty.
Since the sunlight is merely reflected by flat mirrors rather than concentrated,
there is no risk or health and safety issue.
All of these elements are subject to improvement and engagement with
the commissioning body.
LATEST NEWS:
February '08:
A one-fifth scale model of the pillar has been built. (see photos below,
left)
Building work
has commenced on the site.
LINKS:
The
competition and Design Brief:
short
article explaining the design competition
Download the design brief PDF (c. 900k) here
You
can download
our full stage 1 proposal document as a pdf here.
This powerpoint slideshow available
here from Omagh Memorial Working Group, previews all five shortlisted
design proposals.
the
exhibition of shortlisted designs.
Further Information: Web-links related to the Omagh Bomb:
A
map of the immediate area
Wikipedia
article on Omagh Town
Wikipedia
article on the Omagh Bomb
The
'official' exhaustive archive of the event
The BBC's page with many links and items, including the playable 'Panorama-
"Who bombed Omagh?"'
The
BBC's news item on the day
The
most prominent independent web-page with many pages and statements from
families etc.
The
CAIN (academic) archive on the event
Partners
in the project:
McGrory Contractors-
main contractors
Egis
GmbH- heliostats
Pilkington Glass
Ltd.- glass
Tyrone Crystal
Ltd. - crystal glass
McGuire Glass-
glass model
White
Young Green - engineering
&
q/s
Thanks
for help and advice:
IPIG Ltd. - glass engineers
Canonbury Resins Ltd. - acrylic resin
Resin & Glass Ltd. - acrylic resin
Dr. Peter Gallagher - Astrophysicist,
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin
Glass Centre - glass for model
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