Meltdown Bronze Cone
Meltdown
Series of 7 bronze, site-specific, sculptural objects. Commissioned for Skerries Art Trail, Dublin. March 2023
Meltdown is a series of bronze sculptures that take the form of the beloved summer treat -the 99 ice cream. This soft serve cone, complete with crisp wafer, swirled ice cream and chocolate flake, is a familiar tradition in Irish seaside culture. However, these sculptures transform the 99 from its classic form into another recognisable sight, the dropped ice-cream. The feeling of disappointment we experience when we see the lost cone on the footpath is a familiar and shared experience.
By casting the object in bronze, this moment of fleeting disaster is made monumental and permanent. Encountering a fallen cone along a bench or footpath can stir empathy, even catharsis. Witnessing another person’s misfortune reminds us that such moments are shared, and the dropped ice cream becomes a symbol of connection.
Placed along the Skerries coast, these interventions aslo invite viewers to notice details in the landscape and remain alert for further discoveries. The chance encounter with an artwork in the outdoor environment brings surprise, while also suggesting traces of others who once enjoyed the same communal space. The ice cream becomes a marker of presence and memory.
The title also points to wider concerns. Meltdown refers not only to the loss of an ice cream but to the urgent issue of climate change. Rising global temperatures and melting icecaps threaten seaside towns like Skerries, which will be among the first to feel the impact of rising sea levels. The sculptures remind us that while losing an ice cream may be upsetting, it is insignificant compared to the global meltdown now unfolding.