Title of artwork: Polestar
Artist: Locky Morris
Year: 2006
Commissioner: Donegal County Council
Funder: Donegal County Council
Per Cent for Art Location: Port Bridge Roundabout, Derry Road
At 12 meters high, it towers over Letterkenny’s Port Bridge Roundabout, a star-like wooden beacon that celebrates the town’s history as an economic gateway. The iconic Polestar artwork is the work of Derry-born artist Locky Morris; commissioned in 2006 by Donegal County Council, it serves as an instantly recognisable landmark as you approach Letterkenny.
Inspiration
The Port Bridge site has historical significance as a trade hub; goods were landed here by boat and distributed by rail and road to the surrounding area. Today the location remains an important access point to Letterkenny. Although abstract in form, the internal structure and logic of Polestar makes a strong visual reference to the former railway line and bridge that once operated nearby: the artist aimed to create a boat-like structure that encompassed a locomotive/train track theme. A suggestion of dynamic movement could be seen as a nod toward the movement of trains along tracks through this landscape in times gone by.
The name Polestar, while playfully referencing its primary materials, also makes reference to a celestial navigation system; the piece almost serves as a star to be steered by, serving as a guide or axis of rotation (perhaps echoing the circulation of traffic on a roundabout too). Timber poles are very much an organic, earthy material but these have been transformed beyond the ordinary for the purpose of this striking Letterkenny landmark.
Process
Polestar is composed of 104 treated timber telegraph poles, each measuring approximately 300mm in diameter and 6.5 metres in length. The piece rises to a height of 12 metres, with a similar width, and a breadth of 6.5 metres; it’s illuminated from below with 12 base-mounted spotlights. It was constructed using a series of triangular sections, bolted together with galvanised steel, and assembled in an interlocking pattern to produce an extruded, circular, star-like configuration.
About the artist
Locky Morris was born in Derry in 1960, where he continues to live and work; he studied in Belfast and Manchester. His career as an artist spans three decades and encompasses photography, installation, video and songwriting. In recent years, he has expanded his practice from object-making to bring in elements of text, sound and digital media. The recipient of numerous awards, he has completed a broad range of public art projects. His work has been shown widely in Ireland and around the world. Throughout his career, his engagement with Derry City and its changing character has shaped his process, with his work often shown in community centres and at a street level.