The Ogham Wall

V&A,  London

At the V&A, the 15th century Devonshire Hunting Tapestries hang in a space where time stands still. The cloth is rough, The Tapestries are fine. The colours are exquisite. One is transported into a dreamy forest.

 

Collaborating with Grafton Architects we have chosen the ancient 4th century Irish Ogham alphabet as a basis for exploring the ancient & the contemporary. We translated the alphabet into an architectural construct. The rhythm of strokes along or across a line, this ancient language is carved into ancient stone. We have translated this language into a rhythm of 23 concrete ‘fins’ standing in the space of the Tapestry Room.

 

Each of the 20 letters in the Ogham alphabet represent a name of a sacred tree. The pattern of the barks of these sacred trees is etched into the surface treatment of the concrete. Bronze, Brass and Tin metals are combined with the surface treatment of the moulds to make a rich textured concrete surface.

Following its installation at the V&A during the London Design Festival, the Ogham  Wall has been exhibited at Dublin Castle, Ireland and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

 

Next project
 
 
 
 

The Ogham Wall - read more

X

The Ogham Wall

V&A,  London

At the V&A, the 15th century Devonshire Hunting Tapestries hang in a space where time stands still. The cloth is rough, The Tapestries are fine. The colours are exquisite. One is transported into a dreamy forest.

Collaborating with Grafton Architects we have chosen the ancient 4th century Irish Ogham alphabet as a basis for exploring the ancient & the contemporary. We translated the alphabet into an architectural construct. The rhythm of strokes along or across a line, this ancient language is carved into ancient stone. We have translated this language into a rhythm of 23 concrete ‘fins’ standing in the space of the Tapestry Room.

Each of the 20 letters in the Ogham alphabet represent a name of a sacred tree. The pattern of the barks of these sacred trees is etched into the surface treatment of the concrete. Bronze, Brass and Tin metals are combined with the surface treatment of the moulds to make a rich textured concrete surface.

Following its installation at the V&A during the London Design Festival, the Ogham  Wall has been exhibited at Dublin Castle, Ireland and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.