Greenway Sculpture Project – 2012
The Greenway Sculpture Project 2012 is a non-site specific temporary outdoor exhibition of contemporary sculpture from practicing artists which ran over the summer months until October. The aim of the exhibition is to exhibit the very best of contemporary sculpture in the dramatic outdoor setting along the Great Western Greenway, Co. Mayo. The 42km-long Greenway trail is situated along Ireland’s Atlantic coast, on the east and north of Clew Bay between Westport town and Achill Island, and visits the picturesque villages of Newport and Mulranny (Mallaranny). It passes by some of the West of Ireland’s most dramatic mountains and offers magnificent views of Clew Bay and its many islands. It is a traffic-free cycling and walking trail which follows the route of the renowned Westport to Achill railway which closed in 1937.
This is the first time this project has taken place and two of Mark’s sculptures ‘Tauto 1 (Say it Over) + Tauto 2 (Say it Again)’ were selected to be part of this unique exhibition. This work explores the idea of Tautology (from the Greek word ‘tauto’, meaning “the same”). Tautology is an unnecessary repetition of meaning, using dissimilar words that effectively say the same thing, often originally from different languages. In this context, the work considers the various contradictions and interpretations that people can have of the same idea or situation. Similarly, the two sculptures exploit and explore both the positive and negative space from the same form. The sculptures exist separately but still remain connected by reflecting the same point of origin.
The work was positioned on the Greenway next to a play park at the junction where the West Road meets the Leenane Road (N59). The Leenane Road is left off Quay Street in Westport town.
