​​​​​Sculpture in the Parklands

​2002-2010

Kevin O'Dwyer (2025)

Regeneration  

Regeneration was conceived as a meditation on renewal, resilience, and the enduring possibilities of the future. Rising six metres into the Offaly sky, the sculpture takes its inspiration from the seed—an elemental form and universal symbol of growth and new beginnings. By abstracting and repeating this motif, I wanted to create a work that speaks to the natural cycles of renewal found in ecosystems across the world, from wetlands and forests to coastlines and human communities.

Fabricated in steel, the sculpture’s surface will weather over time, developing a rich patina that echoes the transformation of Lough Boora itself—from a post-industrial bog to a vibrant, biodiverse sanctuary. In this way, the material and its slow evolution mirror the landscape’s own story of resilience and change.

For me, Lough Boora is a place where art, ecology, and memory intersect. Regeneration is both a tribute to this landscape and a reminder that renewal is possible—in nature, and in ourselves. As with much of my practice, the work seeks to bridge the industrial and the organic, placing crafted form in dialogue with the expansive midlands environment. My intention is that it offers a moment of reflection on the balance between human legacy and natural process, and on the hopeful cycles of regeneration that sustain us all.