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Artists Marie Gordon and Laura McMahon started the Tern the Tide project with research into Little Terns, considering their journey and movement, as well as conducted extensive experimentation with possible materials for the culminating artwork.
They sourced materials for the workshops with sustainability in mind, two successful examples of this which enhanced the project process were the bespoke project notebooks designed for workshop participants to capture their ideas throughout the workshops in June, are handmade from recycled materials by Cork based small business Badly Made Books.
When sourcing workshop materials, consideration was given to eco alternatives and if they could be sourced. This started as a sustainability practice, but as the project developed some materials sourced enhanced the projects creative process as a result. For example Natural Watercolours made from extracts of flowers, leaves, fruits and roots, were sourced from Irish Sustainability Supplier Klee paper in Dublin. The pastel hue from this palette even fed into the eventual colour scheme developed for the project branding.
Project partners Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail kindly provided decommissioned railway materials from their Railway Sleeper Production facility in Portlaoise for the artists to experiment with upcycling into the final artwork. The location of the artists’ sculpture is the old cattle loading dock at Kilcoole station. Consideration of passers-by on train and by foot, fed into the final design, pace and placement of the piece onsite. Working closing with Iarnród Éireann Irish Rails Ecologist and Environmental team, the biodiversity onsite and planting to enhancing the area were important collaborations. These fed into in the final artist design; who aim to visually celebrate the work of Birdwatch Ireland and NPSW locally for Little Terns.
The first phase involved sketching, testing, playing, thinking about measurements for the sculpture, and considering potential shapes, colours and materials for the birds. The artists experimented with reworking some of these materials in Moneypenny’s Blacksmithing Forge, on the Newry Canal outside Portadown, with expert consultation from their resident Blacksmith Jonny Kerr.
They also worked in Fire Station Artist’s Studio, Dublin - Sculpture workshop to push the boundaries of different welding and metalworking techniques to upcycle and rework the railway materials for the culminating artwork. Cris Neuman, metal work studio manager at Fire Station Artist Studios, expertise has been of great benefit in progressing the final idea for the sculpture.
As a participative project local engagement was a key driver throughout the artwork development: the final sculpture design was refined taking inspiration from the local creative workshops which took place in June, and the local Kilcoole men’s shed members produced a Little Tern silicone Mold, to then create plaster paris bird decoys for the adult creative workshop participants to then complete.
These decoys were made based on a technique local Men’s Shed Member Patrick Martin researched from other Little Tern conservation projects. These finished decoys were donated to the Kilcoole Conservation Project team in BirdWatch Ireland to aid with their bird ringing and tagging process.
The Artists worked closely with Iarnród Eireann Irish Rails Chief Civil Engineers, Arts and Environmental teams to ensure safety as part of the final placement within the environment of the railway.
Exciting additions to the sculpture site which came out of the artists collaboration with Iarnród Eireann Irish Rails ecology team include; the native hedging planting behind the artwork, bug hotel and pollinator planting around the artwork which are intended to overtime enhance the artwork combining biodiverse choices and artistic aesthetic to enrich the artwork through the seasons. Also the Little Tern flag, embedding an annual ritual in flying the flag as a participative element of the sculpture on site, which will be flown when the little terns return to the area for their breeding season.
The final bird shapes were cut from decommissioned rail signage using a CNC machine at Creative Spark in Dundalk, with assistance from Conall Mullen and Ciaran and the team in their Fab Lab.
They were then fabricated to the Artists design by Kilcoole locally based Steel Manufacturing company yel.ie and finalised with a weather proof powdercoat finish by Jeff and the team at Tallaght Powdercoating.
The powdercoating finish is durable but also vibrant and precise - the collaborative process consisted of sandblasting prep that polishes and cleans the metals of the sculpture, then a cold powder colour applied in the chosen colours, including a base coat of grey for the poles, and the white, blue, yellow and rust/terracotta colours chosen - which is then finally sealed by heating to cure the powder paint at temperatures of around 180 degrees.
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