Artist Alexandra Carr Selected For Central Quad Public Art Project

Published: 28 Oct, 2020

Alexandra Carr is the first of three new artists selected to create new public art at TU Dublin's flagship campus at Grangegorman. The announcement follows an international competition last year to develop artworks for three new buildings in Dublin's Newest Urban Quarter.

Alexandra was chosen to develop an artwork for the Central Quad in alongside the design team Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

‘Solaris Nexum’ will be a large-scale, suspended artwork located in the main foyer of the Central Quad in response to the changing of light. Alexandra’s work has a particular focus on the boundary between art, science and technology, making ‘Solaris Nexum’ and the Central Quad an ideal fit.

The sculpture explores our changing connection to the sun through technological shifts of various ages. Through a double-sided surface of suspended mirrors, the helical structure will be projected onto catenary arches, allowing continually changing reflections in response to the shifting light. ‘Solaris Nexum’ has now moved into the production stage and is expected to be installed on-site next year.

The latest Grangegorman Newsletter, which focuses on the Central and East Quads as they near completion, is now available to read here

This image shows the top view of the drawing of Solaris Nexum. In this version, the two-way polycarbonate mirror panels are all orientated towards a point attractor which acts as the path of the sun. This is a formal reference to modern-day sun towers, a technological echo of our ancient celestial connections.