‘Solaris Nexum’ is a site-specific artwork by Alexandra Carr designed for the TU Dublin Central Quad in Grangegorman. Carr worked closely with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCB Studios), the architectural design team lead, to develop the work. This five storey sculpture is in constant motion, continually changing with the shifting of light of the day and season. It was commissioned through an international open call as part of ‘…the lives we live’ Grangegorman Public Art.
‘Solaris Nexum’ is situated in the foyer of Central Quad which is easily accessible to visitors. The installation explores our changing connection to the sun through technological shifts of various ages. Through a double-sided surface of suspended mirrors, ‘Solaris Nexum’ is a helical structure projected onto catenary arches, allowing continually changing reflections in response to the shifting light.
Carr approaches celestial architecture, advances in optics, and renewable energy as paradigm-shifting technologies, drawing together periods of human history with a potential future for humankind. The sculpture serves as a monument to solar connection through the ages of technology, encourages us to retain a respect for nature and to intelligently live in harmony with its resources, moving towards a technologically symbiotic age. Carr invites us to look both inwards and outwards to embrace all spheres of being into one harmonious whole.
Commissioned by Grangegorman Development Agency for Technological University Dublin. Building location: Grangegorman Lower, Dublin 7, D07 ADY7.
Supported by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Colin Rennie, CConsult, Renée Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy, London, Architectural Metalworkers Ltd, Ormiston Wire Ltd, Bay Plastics Ltd, Abseil Access Ltd, W.H.Scott and Son Engineers Ltd, Constantine. Video audio, bensound.com.
Image: Alexandra Carr, Solaris Nexum, 2021, two-way polycarbonate mirror, clear polycarbonate, steel, glass. 20.5m x 4.5m 4.5m.
Video: ©Alexandra Carr. All rights reserved. ‘Solaris Nexum’ video link: https://vimeo.com/608157804