Lines/Plane: Larus/Cygnus is a work by Donald Urquhart, supported by Sligo County Council and commissioned under a water supply capital scheme. It is a permanent environmental work which is sited in the Garavogue River. Considering the source of funding for this project, it was appropriate that water would feature in the context of the artwork, hence its location in the river.  

The work is intended to provoke interaction with elements of the natural world. It is a formal work that is conceived in direct response to the location. Plane/Lines: Larus/Cygnus is a sensitively sited artwork, sitting quietly within its environment and engaging with it.

The artwork consists of a white horizontal 'plane' situated in a series of vertical 'lines'. A pure white square plane sits just above the mean water level. The square is a perfect smooth cuboid (2x2x0.6m) formed from pre-cast concrete, secured to a fabricated foundation (galvanised steel).

On either side of the plane, running parallel to the river bank, a series of 55 lines project vertically out of the water, defining an overall area of 2x25m. The lines are highly polished stainless steel rods (50mm. in diameter, varying in height from 3.5 to 4.5m.).

These vertical elements can be considered as lines drawn in space, each one counterpointing both the horizontals of water and the plane. The polished rods reflect in the water and in turn reflect the surrounding environment, including the play of light through the work, thus creating an ever-changing visual and poetic dialogue with the elements.

A catalogue was published with an essay by Gavin Morrison.

The artist gave presentations and conducted site visits for all of the town's second-level art students.

A press release was sent to local and national newspaper. 

Donald Urquhart was born in Pertshire, Scotland in 1959 and studied at the Edinburgh College of Art, where he teaches today. He was elected a professional member of the Scottish Society of Artists. From 1990 to 2000 he held a residency at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

Donald is recognised as a leading artist in the field of public art. He has recently been awarded commissions for the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the new Scottish Parliament building, the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the city of Hartlepool. His collaborative project on the Island of Tiree, called An Turas, won the Royal Institute of Scottish Architects Best Building in Scotland Prize and was shortlisted for the G.B. Stirling Prize in 2003.

Catherine Marshall, IMMA
Pat Doyle, Senior Project Engineer, Sligo County Council