Angels of Fidelity, Dublin No.1 Photograph - Limited Edition of 10

Angels of Fidelity, Dublin No.1 In the centre of Dublin is the O'Connell Monument, the memorial to Daniel O'Connell, 19th century nationalist leader and liberator, by sculptor John Henry Foley, which stands at the entrance to the street named after him. The monument was unveiled to enormous crowds in 1882. The story goes that the rain stopped, the sun cut through the clouds and 250,000 voices roared in awe. Most statues brim with symbolic meaning that literally set in stone, or bronze as in this case, great events, stories or people. The hero here, O'Connell' is depicted along with a number of allegorical additions including four outstandingly beautiful 'winged victories'. These 'angels each have different meaning and attributes. The one I chose for this piece represents 'Fidelity' and holds a key with a hound at her feet. The hound is said to represent an intuition for good and evil. This angel is also said to represent the Greek goddess Hecate 'Mother of Angels in the Cosmic World Soul'. One can only try to imagine the sensation of seeing such statues at a time before creativity, art and visual information overflowed as it does today. Somewhat like a great book or movie of today, this monumental immortal artwork was the great populist story of it's day and it's unveiling a marvel to be seen and talked about for generations. Now its art, craft and beauty goes unnoticed by the thousands who pass it every single day. With such profound beauty in these public artefacts I have been captivated and have endeavoured bring these aesthetic stories into a new contemporary context, to take them on a new journey. My work is a reinvention in a medium unimaginable even a few hundred years ago. With a carefully twisted symmetry I embed new stories and perspectives. I want to compel the viewer to more than glimpse, to consider just for a moment the power, and positivity in what they actually see anew, yet dismissed in a passive glance on a cold, grey day in Dublin. Note: The ‘Statuesque’ series expresses a long fascination with perception. “Statues in cities are so often almost invisible yet they depict powerful stories and characters from an era when visual information was so rare. Statues have gravity, beauty, craft and hold an eternal value, as symbolic of immortality as anything we create. I endeavour to bring them new context, new life, new perspective”. Laurenson takes a traditional dark room approach, a crafted ‘dodge and burn’ technique, utilising digital technology. Artworks are available as archival reverse prints onto aluminium of exceptional quality. I chose this medium for its metallic, polished and reflective nature, these are not simply printed photographs but instead an extension of the bronze statue itself, another immortal object.

Photography:C-type on Aluminium

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:10

Size:39.4 W x 39.4 H x 2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.