Irish artist Daphne Wright was recently awarded the commission for Castlebar Courthouse, arising from an open two-stage public art competition run by Mayo County Council.

The proposed artwork is entitled The Witness Tree and will be made of cast translucent white marble.

The artist chose one of the oldest trees on the Mall and, using a process of ‘live casting’, created a 3-dimensional picture of the tree for further development in the studio. Using this method, she captured the elegant form of the tree, including surface detail, without in any way harming the living tree (all of the ‘casting’ was carried out using tree-friendly materials). Daphne and her team, Lisa Scantlerbury and Mark Plenderleith, worked in situ on the Mall for a week from 18th May.

"The newly refurbished courthouse is a very elegant space which required a sensitive response. Daphne Wright is a very experienced and well-respected artist, whose work involves installations appropriate to particular spaces. She has had solo exhibitions in Sligo, Limerick, Dublin, London and Manchester. She is currently based in Bristol and is looking forward to the opportunity to work in Mayo."

(Mayo County Council)