They are of us all
Barbara Knezevic
Photograph: Valerie Connor
Photograph: Ros Kavanagh
Photograph: Ros Kavanagh
A permanent commemorative artwork located in eastern part of the Witness History courtyard at the GPO. Commissioned by An Post GPO for the centenary, They are of us all marks the loss of young lives lost through conflict and commemorates of the children who died during Easter Week 1916 in Dublin. Curated by Valerie Connor and Ruairí Ó Cuív. Commissioned by An Post GPO Witness History and awarded the 2016 Allianz Business to Arts Awards' Jim McNaughton Perpetual Award for Best Commissioning Practice and Judges’ Special Recognition Award for Portfolio of Investment.
The sculpture comprises mirror polish stainless steel and 40 rough hewn limestone stones placed across the surface. The small scale of the stones is intimate and their reflections evoke the individual tragedy of the loss of a child as well as the universal nature of grief. As the artwork memorialises an aspect of the Easter Rising previously overlooked, the intention is to represent the gravity of these bereavements alongside the more public history and legacy of the 1916 Easter Rising.
The sculpture comprises mirror polish stainless steel and 40 rough hewn limestone stones placed across the surface. The small scale of the stones is intimate and their reflections evoke the individual tragedy of the loss of a child as well as the universal nature of grief. As the artwork memorialises an aspect of the Easter Rising previously overlooked, the intention is to represent the gravity of these bereavements alongside the more public history and legacy of the 1916 Easter Rising.