“Water On Rock.” Holographic water wall and mosaic tiles on concrete waves.
Essentially this sculpture is about the movement and energy of water on rocks, and the cycle of water from sky to sea. The circle can represent the sun or the lighthouse lens. For us it’s the moon with its influence on the tides, and how they in turn affect our experience of the sea. It’s a stylized interpretation, and we chose mosaic, as it seemed to best express the fracturing of coastal waters, as they meet land. There was also a challenge in combining such varied materials, the modern holographic wall with the ancient art of mosaic and the natural rocks. The reflective background was to play with the light, to suggest something “beyond”, and to refract light in a similar way to a lighthouse lens – creating rainbows.

The Mizen enjoys spectacular rainbow arcs due to the sea light and moisture leaden air. A holographic water wall had never been done before. The holographic film was a nightmare to work with, so we had to find a way to enclose it in a sealed, double glass unit. All year round the light will play visual tricks with this surface, and it holds surprises too. At midday on Midsummer’s day, the vertical angle of the sun from the window above hits the centre of the circle and blazes red. When water runs over the glass, it throws the applied clouds into relief, and makes them appear 3-dimensional. This is due to the water being reflected at the back of the holographic surface and pushing the clouds forward. Some even see a hidden face. The waves we made on the spot from sand-cast, reinforced concrete. The mosaic tiles were selected individually from larger tiles, which we smashed up and sorted to get the right colours and surface texture, from matt to shiny. The idea is to draw the eye towards the background gradually. The mosaic work took two months to complete, working piece by piece like the ultimate jigsaw.