Carbon Flux

Carbon Flux, 2017
Dimensions Variable Polycarbonate domes, corrugated metal sheeting, timber, plywood, fasteners, exterior paint, digital collage printed on billboard paper
Turraun Wetland, Lough Boora Discovery Park, Offaly, Ireland
Photo: Artist

Carbon Flux is a site-specific installation which responds to the shifting nature of the regenerated peat bogs in the Irish Midlands.  Sited on the threshold between industry and conservation, Carbon Flux takes inspiration from the history of industrialised peat extraction and the current role of climate science in these remarkable landscapes.  The role of the Turraun wetland is paramount in the history of peat production as it was the first bog to ever produce peat for energy on an industrial scale in Ireland and subsequently one of the first industrialised bogs to come out of peat production and rewetted for conservation.

Seven domed cylinders, varying in size and shades of Bord na Móna yellow, are clad in corrugated iron, a material commonly used in the vernacular architecture of a working peat bog.  Imagery of microscopic biological life found in the peatlands adorn the interior spaces of the cylinders, bringing attention to the invaluable contribution these unseen algae play in the carboncycle. The shape and forms of the sculptures are derived from the chamber-system method of manually collecting greenhouse gas emission data.

Carbon Flux has been made in collaboration with Caitriona Devery and the Pullough Heritage Community Group with funding from Creative Ireland - Offaly Community Grant, and STEP Travel Grants, European Cultural Foundation.

Special thanks to Bord Na Móna, Earthy Matters Environmental Consultants, and Dr. John Feehan.