Moving sculpture with a weather theme gets power from renewable energy
The Weather Modulator, a kinetic sculpture by Paddy Bloomer, that’s powered by renewable energy, will be unveiled this Friday in Galway City’s Gaol River.
Commissioned by Hope it Rains | Soineann nó Doineann for Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture, the sculpture is “a weather modification station built on two crannógs perched above the water-line”, explains Ríonach Ní Néill, the Artistic Director of Hope it Rains.
The aim of Hope it Rains | Soineann nó Doineann is to turn Galway’s unpredictable weather to our advantage and to make people and places more resilient to our wet weather and climate.
One of the crannógs in The Weather Modulator has a ‘rain generator’ which can simulate a shower, using energy harvested from the sun.
“It spins and sprays, rises and lowers like a fairground ride, in a playful nod to the nearby Millennium Park playground,” Ríonach says.
The rain generator will swing into action when there isn’t enough naturally occurring rainfall – something that shouldn’t be too big a problem in Galway.
The other crannóg houses an apparatus that measures the passage of time, by using centuries-old technology which simulates the movement of heavenly bodies.
Sculptor Paddy Bloomer can monitor his Galway artwork from his Belfast studio, thanks to additional equipment that records the weather and the energy being generated.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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