Noah's Egg by Rachel Joynt

Leading horse trainer Dermot Weld commissioned prominent Irish sculptor Rachel Joynt (born 1966 in County Kerry) to create the captivating "Noah's Egg" for the new Veterinary Medicine building at University College Dublin. The Latin phrase beside the sculpture, "Omne vivum ex ovo," translates to "all things come from the egg."

The egg's surface teems with sperm-like shapes representing various creatures, including bulls, rats, hamsters, and man. The sculpture features small holes that, when viewed from the pointed end, create a mesmerizing planetarium-like effect.

About Rachel Joynt

Joynt graduated from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin in 1989 with a degree in sculpture. Her father, Dick Joynt, was also a renowned sculptor. Her work often explores themes of place, history, and nature, examining the past as a foundation for the present.

Among her notable commissions is "People's Island" (1988), where brass footprints of humans and birds intertwine on a pedestrian island near Dublin's O'Connell Bridge. Joynt's collaboration with Remco de Fouw resulted in "Perpetual Motion" (1995), a large sphere adorned with road markings, standing prominently on the Naas dual carriageway. Public Art Ireland hails this as "probably Ireland's best-known sculpture." It was even featured in "The Apology," a Guinness advert, as a visual symbol of leaving Dublin. Joynt also crafted the 900 underlit glass cobblestones installed along the edge of Dublin's River Liffey in early 2005, many containing bronze or silver fish.

PRESS RELEASE: 'NOAH'S EGG'

On Tuesday, 8 June 2004, leading trainer Dermot Weld unveiled 'NOAH'S EGG', a giant cast-bronze egg sculpture, at the UCD Veterinary School in Belfield. The sculpture was a generous gift from Weld to the UCD Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

Noah's Egg symbolizes the origins and potential of life, representing both the field of veterinary medicine and the scholarly ambitions of the veterinary students and staff. Rachel Joynt designed Noah's Egg as an interactive sculpture. Its ochre, shell-like surface is richly textured with sperm-like shapes of various creatures including man, bull, rabbit, guinea pig, rat, mouse and hamster. The small holes create a planetarium-like effect when viewed from the pointed end. At night, Noah's Egg glows warmly with red light, reminiscent of an incubator. It resides proudly outside the UCD Veterinary Faculty's state-of-the-art premises at Belfield.