Contemporary Sculpture in Waterford’s Millennium Plaza

Millennium Plaza in Waterford, Ireland.

     The sweeping curves of this monumental but elegant sculpture provide a point of emphasis to the waterfront plaza alongside the Suir River in Waterford, Ireland.  Perhaps the sculpture is reminiscent of the sleek Viking ships that sailed into the river during the medieval era. The town name of Waterford was derived from a Norse term, Vedrarfjiordr, (the windy fjord) which provided a safe haven from the turbulence of the Irish Sea.  The medieval Vikings built a longphort or dock at this strategic harbor, and the town flourished in the tenth century.  Phort Laírge is the Irish name for Waterford.

     The abstract form may inspire optimism for a new millennium as the vertical lines carry your vision upward against a deep blue sky on a clear day.  The soaring verticality is like a visual counterpart to a symphonic crescendo. In fact, the plaza was named for a nineteenth-century musician/composer William Vincent Wallace who was born in Waterford, and became an American citizen in 1850.

References:

A Short History of Waterford. Waterford City Council.

     http://www.waterfordcity.ie/city/history.htm (accessed January 21, 2013).

William Vincent Wallace "Millennium" Plaza. Waterford City Council.

     http://www.waterfordcity.ie/city/plaza.htm (accessed January 21, 2013).

Mackerrus, Catherine. Wallace, William Vincent (1812-1865). Australian Dictionary of Biography.

     http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wallace-william-vincent-2769 (accessed January 21, 2013).