PHOTOGRAPHED ON THE FIRST DAY OF 2025

Happy New Year to everyone.

May the dawn of 2025 bring you new hope, joy, and countless opportunities. May each day be filled with happiness, success, and cherished moments with loved ones. Wishing you a prosperous and fulfilling year ahead!

On New Year’s Day 2025, my 75th birthday, my brother hosted a party at his home in Dalkey. After dinner, some of us walked from Dalkey towards Dun Laoghaire. I chose not to bring my camera, using my iPhone 12 Pro Max to capture the fading light and our journey.

This walk provided an opportunity to revisit Rachel Joynt’s captivating sculpture, Mothership, located in Newtownsmith, between Dun Laoghaire and Glasthule. I first photographed this piece in 2001. Though often referred to online as the “Sea Urchin Sculpture”, a plaque at the site correctly identifies it as Mothership by Rachel Joynt 1999.

Commissioned in 1998 through an open competition as part of the Dun Laoghaire Drainage Scheme’s Art Programme, Mothership has become a local landmark. Its scale and intriguing form invite interaction, with visitors frequently climbing within its shell-like structure.

Constructed from cast bronze and stainless steel, Mothership depicts a sea urchin seemingly caught in mid-motion, its trajectory marked by a trail of metallic silver droplets. This dynamic portrayal suggests the creature has been propelled onto the shore by a powerful wave, its momentum captured in the sculpture’s angled position and the scattered steel discs marking its path.

The artwork symbolises the cleaner waters achieved through the Dun Laoghaire Drainage Scheme. Interestingly, the sculpture’s diameter mirrors that of the pipes used in the scheme’s construction, creating a subtle link between the artwork and the infrastructure project it commemorates.

The sculpture’s placement allows viewers to look through its open form towards the sea, establishing a visual connection between the artwork, the surrounding landscape, and the ocean.

During a previous visit on 23rd July 2024, I photographed another nearby sculpture, Celebration, created by Rachel’s father, Dick Joynt, adding another layer of artistic interest to this coastal area.

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The post RACHEL JOYNT’S MOTHERSHIP SCULPTURE AT NEWTOWNSMITH BETWEEN DUN LAOGHAIRE AND GLASTHULE appeared first on URBAN CARTOGRAPHER 2025.