The Ogham Wall
The Ogham Wall for London Design Festival / Irish Design 2015
V&A Tapestry Gallery, London
19 – 27 September 2015
London Design Festival merged with Irish Design 2015 to commission the Ogham Wall, a series of 23 freestanding monoliths depicting the 4th century Irish Ogham alphabet. Designed by Dublin studio Grafton Architects with concrete specialists Graphic Relief, the three-metre high concrete casts are filled with foam and held in place by metal braces.
The heaviest weighs 400kg. The textured finishes, cast into the surface with metal powder, reference the linear Ogham characters as well as tree-bark patterns, as each letter was linked to a native tree species. The weight of each concrete fin and the sensitivity around the 500-year old tapestries in the gallery made this a challenging installation. millimetre collaborated closely with Arup engineers to define the method for supporting each block in a way that would allow the public to touch and experience the artwork.
- Partners
- London Design Festival
- Irish Design 2015
- Grafton Architects
- Graphic Relief
- Photography: © Glasshopper