Fingal County Council and Erigo Group announce new public art piece

Fingal County Council, in conjunction with the Erigo Group is delighted to announce the commissioning of a major new piece of contemporary public art by internationally renowned artist, Grace Weir, for the impressive new Vantage Business Park located at Coldwinters, just off the N2 in North County Dublin.

The Flood family, in association with Fingal County Council Arts Office have appointed Grace, to create a new bronze sculpture for the landscaped grounds of Vantage Business Park, due to open in 2020 is titled ‘COLD WINTER TREE’  

Fingal County Council has introduced specific planning conditions in its County Development Plan, where all private developments of a certain scale proposed for the county are encouraged as a condition of planning to engage with Fingal Arts Office in commissioning an artist to make a piece of public art.

Mayor of Fingal Cllr Eoghan O’Brien supported the initiative from the outset and commented: "Myself and my fellow councillors agreed to this unique provision in the recent development plan and we are delighted to see this exiting piece of art being commissioned as a result.I look forward to seeing these innovative collaborations between the business communities and the Fingal Arts Office grow to bring art to the public in exciting new locations."

The Erigo Group is a Dublin based, property development company constructing several large industrial buildings, which will be used as warehouses, production, manufacturing or office facilities. Its development at Coldwinters, Vantage Business Park, enjoys significant road profile as it fronts the N2, just off the M50 motorway, and is located in the Dublin Enterprise Zone, a pro-business environment. This particular art commission arises from the visionary and pioneering approach that informs all Erigo Group developments. The family business has demonstrated a real and valuable commitment to investing in the arts and culture.  

These commissioning partnerships form part of Fingal County Council’s INFRASTRUCTURE Public Art Programme under our “Buildings and Public Spaces” Panel. INFRASTRUCTURE was widely advertised by open call in 2018. A selection of artists from this prestigious panel were considered from this submission process for this public art commission.

They were invited to develop detailed proposals by Erigo Group Director, Laurence Flood, assisted by curator Aisling Prior and Fingal County Council Public Art Co-ordinator Caroline Cowley. Grace Weir was awarded the commission for her exciting concept for the site.

Grace Weir, whose family are the Dukes and the Weirs from St Margaret’s, is an artist of international standing. It was this personal connection to the place that really sparked her interest in making a sculpture for the Coldwinters location.

For this commission, Grace has proposed to cast a real, fully grown tree in bronze. This mature tree, with its trunk spreading and forking into smaller branches which will be growing in all directions, will represent a natural order of dissemination. Grace commented:  "A three- dimensional ‘bronze poem’, the proposed ‘word tree’ sculpture will be dynamically read from different angles. While situated in a specific place, ‘COLD WINTER TREE’ will connect people’s imaginations both in time and space to other locations and moments, both near and far.” 

The sculpture will incorporate the bronze casting of words that conjure up the particular character of the location, Coldwinters, and the nature of the site and the activity therein. The new Vantage Business Park will shortly become a busy nexus, filled with activity as a site for manufacture, storage and distribution.

Grace is excited to be making a new piece of sculpture and looks forward to the challenge of casting a full size tree in bronze and said: “I value working in the public arena, outside of the gallery and museum, and engaging with people working in other fields. The personal, family connection with the area makes this commission particularly special.”

Fingal County Council’s Public Art Co-ordinator, Caroline Cowley commented: "This public art commissioning process between Fingal County Council, the Erigo Group and the artist demonstrates a forward-looking and progressive interaction between the art and business and industries & is a flagship example of how to promote contemporary art in different contexts, for new audiences going forward."