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Emma Louise Moore

2021 National Sculpture Prize | Finalist

Material: Carrara Marble

A Level closer to Time

“The actuality and visceral physicality of the sun’s movements is depicted in this piece, the passing sun is a level closer to time. It signals our need to reconnect with the earth.

This piece reflects that connection, creating an instinctive experience in which you are viewing the movements of the earth in real-time, something we see every day; in this work, the year-long movements of the sun become “evident”, “learnable “… which gives us a deeper connection to it.”

Monday 21st June 2021

Installed on the solstice

“Take our ancestors; they knew every sun movement, where it rises, its location, the future trajectory for its movements for the year to come. We have lost that. As a society, we are losing awareness of nature, of the atmospheric happenings which surround us. I am attempting to materialise this park’s movement, materialise a moment, present in its complexity. Every park is ever-changing, a spectacle.

This sculpture captures this little spinning environment, capturing the slow spectacle of its moving light.

We come to parks to allow ourselves to be overcome by nature”

The vision for the piece

Sculpture thesis

Carved in Carrara Marble from Italy, the actuality and visceral physicality of the sun’s movements is depicted in this piece. The piece is carved to align with the summer solstice. For me the visceral experience this piece provides, depicting the passing sun- is a level closer to time. It signifies our need to reconnect with the earth. This piece reflects that connection, creating a visceral experience in which you are viewing the movements of the earth in real-time, something we see every day; in this work, the year-long movements of the sun become “evident”, “learnable “… this gives us a deeper connection to it.

The work is designed to be aesthetically pleasing at all times, but when activated by the light, it will create a phenomenon, instantly creating an experience for those who view it. Not a celebration of any particular group in the past or the present. Only the people at that very moment, the people who are experiencing the same elements being imposed on the sculpture. As the artist, I create this piece in a space of servitude, standing as a phenomenon facilitator. The ephemerality of this piece is vital, taunting our instantaneous expectations. This monument acts as a phenomenon facilitator, acting as vessels for the sunlight to guide us once more. The light commands the piece, which in turn commands the rhythms and motions of the crowd.

In relation to the theme ”Outthinking the future” this piece is reflective of the dedication our ancestors had to align with the summer solstice sun, in full knowledge that they will have to wait another year for the phenomenon to occur – if there is cloud cover two, maybe three years. They are the perfect example of out thinking the future; with their monuments still functioning through their yearly cycle of alignment and affecting society today. In today’s society we do not hold this level of dedication for anything, I want to retract our need for instantaneous results and create a piece which holds importance, patience and focus on the earth, just as our ancestors did. As it is a short term piece it will not align with the year sun cycle, but it will require sunlight to be fully activated at a particular time window of each day. From past experience of making this kind of work, the sun becomes the artist, dictating the look of the piece, while the piece is dormant it is still aesthetically pleasing, but when it will provide an occult phenomena.

With this piece, I am attempting to materialise this park’s movement, materialise a moment, present in its complexity. Every park is ever-changing, a spectacle. This sculpture will capture this little spinning environment, capturing the slow spectacle of its moving light. We come to parks to allow ourselves to be overcome by nature, yet we whip around them; this piece will give the bystander an excuse to pause, bask in the movements of the light.

An early design proposal
2
The Carrara marble was delivered
A pair of monoliths

Professional history

About the artist

Emma studied her BA in Limerick School of Art & Design, went on to work in commercial Sculpture and film before studying her MA in Fine Art at Central St.Martins. Emma Louise’s first States-based solo show in Harlem, New York. Other shows include a solo-show in Melbourne and a collection of group shows in Ireland, London, Melbourne and New York. Her recent London based shows included The Tate Modern -Tate Exchange. Emma was one of two artists on the Monash Children’s Hospital Bronze Commission, Melbourne.

Emma Louise takes the mentality of a crowd as her point of departure. Investigating their movements, her works calls for an awareness of our complacent tendency to follow others, becoming ontological refugees, distanced from our individuality.

Pendulum - Honey onyx and Steel

The public vote is live

July - November 2021

This year, for the first time ever, all voting will be done in person at the estate. Visitors are invited to explore the exhibition and select their winner. The public vote will take place between 1st July 2021 and 31st October 2021.