St. Brigid's Chapel..... my creative involvement.....

Clonard College's new Chapel is full of hand designed and created artworks. Here is how we were involved.........

Linda Kiernan who has worked at Clonard for 30 years had a vivid creative vision of how she wanted this new Chapel to look. Inspired by the metalwork I created on the campus over 15 years ago in collaboration with Viktor Ceberg, Linda contacted me with a very excited phone call early in 2015 describing her list of creative metalwork sculptural elements she wanted from us. I was very excited with her vision and also the freedom I was allowed in the designs......

Here's an image of a piece I created back in 2001, and some of my pre-design work.

The first piece we designed and created was the water feature for the meditative corner in the Chapel. This was designed with the water drop/leaf/ flame shapes I devised from the mural another artist was creating, and also the Kildare Ministries candle symbol. We also commissioned Wathaurong Glass to create the glass panels that include the running water symbol......A Wathaurong student of Clonard designed a gorgeous panel of the lead light window 20 panel story, so this was another beautiful connection within the chapel space.

Feeling confident, we progressed to the lantern/lamp that was designed to be lowered down to light the candle before every liturgy and is extinguished at its conclusion. Again the design connected with the flowing lines around the windows, the light from the lamp of learning and the flame of Kildare Ministries.

Our lamp is the centrepiece of the Chapel, and I was very proud to attend the first mass held in all the Chapel artist's honour, and to watch it being lowered and the candle lit!

Linda's next surprise in the last month before the official opening was that she had envisioned metalwork symbols on the external signage. The oak leaf from the Irish Oak tree where St. Brigid originated, the Brigidine Cross and the lamp of learning, oh and also a section of ribbon to connect the flow of the window design......and did I mention there are two signs!

A couple of Kildare crosses were created for the alter.....the timber furniture was also created locally x

The surprise candle snuffer I made for Linda and a close up view of the copper and metalwork detail in some of the smaller creations!
​The final piece that was installed the day before the opening was the door embellishments. These included the oak leaf and acorns for St. Brigid and also some free flowing copper curly work, that I absolutely love! The green of the door and the signage is also a homage to Ireland.......

Thank you so much Linda for your trust in us to follow your brief with our own artistry.....I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and I'm looking forward to your next vision! x
​Clonard College is in Vines rd. Herne Hill, Geelong.