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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 if an eco alternative could be sourced. This started as a sustainability practice, but some materials sourced enhanced the project 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 Port-Laoise Hub for the artists to experiment with upcycling into the final sculptural artwork. The location of the artists’ sculpture is the old cattle loading dock at Kilcoole station, consideration of the passers-by on train or by foot, fed into the final design and placement of the onsite artwork. Consideration of both minimising biodiversity impact on the site, as well as visually celebrating the work of BirdWatch Ireland and NPSW to protect little terns were important features in the design process of the artists.
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.
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.
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 final design for the sculpture once agreed by the artists and Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail’s Civil Engineer team to ensure safety - was installed and planned based on advice from Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail’s Ecology team to minimise impact to existing flora and fauna. The teamed plant native hedging behind the artwork, which will overtime enhance biodiversity on the site.
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