Unknown

 Here is Ellis O'Connell's "Capsule for destinies unknown" (2017) and a little girl with a balloon is starting her own journey.  This object was in the grounds of Chester Cathedral as part of their ARK exhibition and O'Connell made a sculpture for the event that she thought was relevant to the idea of shelter and refuge in these uncertain times.  It references the refugee crisis and also the sale of arms to repressive regimes.  So it could be a torpedo or escape pod take your pick.  The start of the apocalypse or the escape from it.  The material is corrugated galvanised steel and polycarbonate sheeting and as she says "humble everyday materials often used to make temporary living spaces".

Or perhaps this object has brought visitors from another dimension for nearby

are two of Lynn Chadwick's steel Beasts. In the foreground, Rising Beast (1989) and Duttan's Beast (1990) named after one of Chadwick's friends.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at the letter U here

   

Land Rover Rebellion

Travelling the country lanes of County Wicklow in the second week of our holiday in Ireland we kept spotting groups of old land rovers barreling along in the distance and then we happened on one outside Avondale House, once the home of the Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) land reformer and leader of the Home Rule League.  The house and its 500 acre forest park, full of tree trails and walks, is justifiably a popular attraction.   Why the Land Rover was parked by the house I don't know but from what I can glean a hundred of the Land Rover Series One Club was having an event in the area. These were Land Rovers produced from 1948-53.

Then we came across another one in the town of Arklow.  We thought the rather grand renaissance revival building was the town hall but it turned out to be St Mary's and St Peter's Church.  The Land Rover is parked by the Michael Murphy Monument, a catholic priest and United Irishmen leader.  He was shot and killed here at the Battle of Arklow as he lead an attack on horseback in the 1798 Rebellion (the town of Arklow was British held).  One of the banners taken into battle said "Liberty of Death".  The rebellion was inspired by the American and French Revolutions.

Disappointingly no Land Rover here in Aughrim but there is a memorial which was erected for the bi-centennial of the 1798 Rebellion.

And the added bonus of the An Post van outside the Aughrim Post Office and general store. My favourite design on the An Post's Renault vans was the flying postman with a parcel but unfortunately

the nearest I came to getting a picture was of this one as it overtook us on the road.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at R here