Oranmore - Maritime Shell

• Other relevant links
• Athenry - Gort Mhaoilir
• Athenry - The Well
• Cullairbaun Community Album
• Fan Noimead - Headford
• Lawrencetown - Dairmaid and Gráinne
• Loughrea - Uileann Piper
• Oranmore - Maritime Shell
• Portumna - GLANCE
• Sun Street, Tuam - Birds at Play
• Tirboy Traditional Traveller Skills Project
• Townscape - Tuam
• Wildscreen
• You are Here - Tuam

Public Art in Oranmore

Maritime Shell

Name of Artist: Jacqueline Ferguson 

Materials Used: Copper, Stainless Steel, Galvanised Steel Frame, Limestone Paving

Artist Statement:

Oranmore has a rich maritime heritage, so I chose to let the artwork echo these surroundings.  ‘Maritime Shell' reflects both natural and manmade surroundings.  As one enters the spiral an underwater world unfolds through the stainless steel designs.  These designs reflect both real and mythical underwater themes.  They were designed by children from the Oranmore locality as part of a series of workshops.

The maze like structure is influenced by the natural architecture of the sea shell as well as the man-made architecture of maritime vessels.  The artwork plays with childlike structure impulses as the structure, being a life size maze, acts as both public art work and natural interactive architecture.  It blurs the boundaries between art and viewer as well as local residents through the use of children's designs.

Oranmore has a rich maritime heritage and an artwork which explores this will be a success and hopefully will be a local amenity well into the future.