RECLINING AND CONNECTED FORMS BY HENRY MOORE – A 1969 BRONZE SCULPTURE AT TRINITY COLLEGE
For some strange reason this appears to be ignored by visitors and tourists who photograph everything except this.
Years ago Henry Moore provided , on loan, a sculpture which became known as ‘The King And Queen’ and it was located on the Library forecourt but as he was not happy about the location he decided that it should be returned. He had not been happy with the location because he felt that there was a conflict with the forecourt lanterns and because there was not enough sunlight on the north facing forecourt.
The university worked persistently to find a replacement for the King and Queen and eventually proposed the work by Pomodoro which is now permanently installed on the forecourt and which appears to have been made for it. A perfect outcome.
Eventually Trinity obtained another work by Henry Moore, for which a location in Library Square was agreed and where it has remained.
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Moore produced many drawings, including a series depicting Londoners sheltering from the Blitz during the Second World War, along with other graphic works on paper.
His forms are usually abstractions of the human figure, typically depicting mother-and-child or reclining figures. Moore’s works are usually suggestive of the female body, apart from a phase in the 1950s when he sculpted family groups. His forms are generally pierced or contain hollow spaces. Many interpreters liken the undulating form of his reclining figures to the landscape and hills of his Yorkshire birthplace.
Moore became well known through his carved marble and larger-scale abstract cast bronze sculptures, and was instrumental in introducing a particular form of modernism to the United Kingdom. His ability in later life to fulfil large-scale commissions made him exceptionally wealthy. Despite this, he lived frugally; most of the money he earned went towards endowing the Henry Moore Foundation, which continues to support education and promotion of the arts.
As you can see from my photographs Grangegorman TU is now a beautifully restored historic part of Dublin City. In keeping with their ongoing conservation efforts, TU Dublin is committed to the promotion of sustainable modes of transport. The Campus is fully pedestrianised and they encourage the use of public transport to access the campus.
The new campus at Grangegorman, the largest investment in Higher Education in Ireland, brings together many activities in one vibrant, cutting-edge campus, providing students with an incomparable educational experience.
The current development phase at Grangegorman saw the East Quad open in late 2020 while the Central Quad began welcoming small numbers of students, public health guidelines permitting, from April 2021. The buildings, when fully operational, will accommodate 10,000 students. Further to this, three existing buildings have been significantly upgraded and refurbished to offer a range of facilities and services to both students and staff – Lower House, Rathdown House, and Park House.
The Lower House is the name given to the former Richmond Asylum which opened to patients in 1814 and served over 2,000 patients at its peak. It forms an important gateway part of the new University campus and Is one of the 11 protected structures on the Grangegorman site. This old building has been refurbished from a derelict shell, to be available for a variety of student uses for Technical University Dublin.
The building’s new uses include music practice rooms, students’ union workspace, a food hall with full production kitchen, sports rooms, a dance studio and general student support services. The refurbishment of the existing 3600m2, 3 storey over partial basement project also included two single storey extensions, totalling 393m2 . The project itself was extremely challenging due to the exposed nature of the protected structure, the significant structural works required and the extremely tight timeframe set out by the Client, magnified by the fact that we are in the middle of a global pandemic.
The Park House is located on the Grangegorman Campus. Three out of seven floors of the 10,500 m² building are home to the current university library.
Park House was originally built as a hotel in 1972, but later converted into office space and used by some high-profile state institutions such as the Ministry of Justice. Several floors have already been refurbished and will continue to be used as offices by university employees and various external tenants.
The library floors were extensively renovated and redesigned from 2020. Modern, bright and open rooms have been created in order to offer the students optimal learning conditions and to make student life even more attractive. For short breaks, the building offers, among other things, a café on the ground floor and a staff canteen on the upper floor.
Rathdown House, in addition to housing a large 250-seater canteen, is a one-stop-shop for student queries including Admissions, Registrations, Exams, International Office, Access & Civic Engagement, along with a new Student Wellness Centre which includes a Health Centre and Counselling Services.
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