Context Background:
The second phase of In Context, 1999-2003, continued the accomplishments of the In Context 1 Public Art Programme. It was the largest local authority art commissioning programme of its time, and subsequently was held as a model of good practice in Public Art programming. Through In Context 2, South Dublin County Council, advised by consultants Artworking, delivered a diverse series of projects under the auspices of the In Context Per Cent for Art Scheme and funded through the Department of the Environment. This provided both emerging and established artists with an opportunity to engage with the community and to incorporate art into the public domain in new and interesting ways.
Description:
Blip is located outside the South Dublin County Council Offices in Clondalkin. Designed as a site specific sculpture, it realises the artist; Corban Walker's perception of scale and draws the eye around the plaza area and out, over the River Camac.
The four stainless steel elements, one installed in the river Camac and three standing at a height of 6.5 metres on the paved plaza are illuminated with LED units. One of the elements is a high-backed chair, with the back reaching 6 metres high and the seat only 36cm from the ground. Sitting in this chair one faces the three further sculptural elements, the siting of which draws the eye toward the River Camac where the last element is staked in the river bed. Flickering LED lights are built into the top panel of two of the elements and add a further optical play to the work.
Artist Biography:
Corban Walker (b. 1967, Dublin, Ireland) gained recognition for his installations, sculptures and drawings that relate to his perception of scale and architectural constructs. Local, cultural and specific philosophies of scale are fundamental to how Walker defines and develops his work.
He received his BFA from the National College of Art and Design, Ireland in 1992.
His first solo exhibition in 1994 was installed at City Arts Centre in Dublin and he has since shown regularly at Green on Red Gallery. Walker’s work has been the subject of many international solo shows and has been selected for group museums exhibitions. He has realized eight public commissions for important institutions including Mitsubishi Estate Corp, Ltd. Tokyo and Royal Bank of Scotland HQ, Dublin. His work is part of numerous public collections in Ireland such as Irish Museum of Modern Art and many private collections throughout the world. Walker has been awarded a Visual Arts Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland on four occasions since 1995.
Corban Walker first exhibited with PaceWildenstein in 2000 and subsequently in the gallery’s Logical Conclusions exhibition in 2005, before his second solo show Grid Stack in 2007. Walker moved to New York in 2004 where he is now currently based.
Mediation:
In Context catalogue, 2002. Essay and Interview by Mick Wilson
Commissioner Type:
Local Authority
Commissioner:
South Dublin County Council SDCC
Programme:
In Context 2
PerCent for Art:
yes
Commissioning Process:
Part of a programmatic approach for In Context 2. Open process of commissioning: registration of interest, artist presentations, short listing. The overall In Context 2 programme was managed by arts consultancy Artworking.
Funding:
Dept. of Environment Heritage and Local Government
Budget Range:
30,000 - 70,000
Project End Date:
04/03/2002