The Myth of Sionna
Seven hazel nut trees ring a pool of dark water, the seven
trees represent the seven branches of Knowledge, the seven schools of Wisdom of
the De Danann tribe (rulers of the Western Ocean, people of the Godess Danu,
the Godess of Life). The hazel nuts that fall into the water contain the entire
knowledge of the De Danann tribe. The De Danann came under threat from a tribe of outsiders and when they realised they would have to leave
their homeland (the World of Men), it was decided to leave their knowledge as a
legacy for future generations.
The hazel trees were ritually imbued with the collective
knowledge of the tribe by a small group of druids, or holy men. As the trees
matured the nuts would drop silently into the black viscous pool, creating but
a single ripple.
Sionna, mistress of the Tuatha De Danann, manages to locate
the sacred pool, and decides to catch one of the hazel nuts as they fall. When
she manages to capture a nut that has just fallen into the pool, the pool
erupts into a solid column of silver. The water column has transformed itself
into a ferocious water spirit. Sionna rushes to make good her escape clutching
the single nut in her hand and the water spirit gives chase. Sionna runs south
towards the sea knowing that salt will protect her from the antagonised
guardian spirit of the pool.
At one point as she flees she stops momentarily to look
behind her at her pursuer. She sees a giant man-shaped liquid figure, Silver
skinned, and teeth of crystal with eyes blazing with a terrible fire. As she
fatefully pauses, the water spirit falls upon her.
As the spirit overcomes Sionna, its form dissolves, water
explodes with great violence across the land sweeping all before it into the
sea. Sionna screams and the river takes her voice, consuming and absorbing her
soul and spirit into itself.
When the Tuatha De Danann approach the river they can hear
her voice in the water and are aware of the magical powers in the flowing
depths. They name the river after the maid whose ‘greed and curiosity’ caused
the river’s birth. The river also now known as Shannon.
The river knows no time, it flows, is received and flows
again without ceasing.
Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Limerick University, Ireland
Architect: Daniel Cordier
The Commission:
In 2009 as part of the construction of the
Irish World Academy of Music and Dance building on the campus of Limerick
University, a garden in the Japanese Zen style was commissioned by the
University. The garden described below is the garden that resulted. The garden
was constructed in early 2010 by Robert Ketchell and a team from Nordon
Landscapes.
The garden at IWAoMD takes the fundamental design principles
of the karesansui garden as set out in
numerous Zen temples in Japan, and seeks to employ them in a way that reaches
beyond the specific boundaries of the culture in which it developed. In
particular the garden makes play of the element of the garden tradition that
allows for the engagement of the viewer through the means of utilising a
narrative quality within the garden. By weaving a narrative element into the
garden Thus the ‘theme’ or ‘narrative’ on which the garden is based is the
mythological story of the coming into being of the river Shannon (which runs
but a few hundred yards from the building, and the garden itself).
As in Chinese landscape paintings, the garden is set out in
three distinct, yet complimentary parts.
(i) The Foreground:
This is the section of the garden that extends immediately
from the glass wall separating the garden area from the building foyer, and
includes the principal 3 stone arrangement. The 3-stone arrangement represents
the figure of Sionna, at the moment when the river is born. The triad is the
most fundamental unit of composition in nearly all the arts of Japan (it
underpins painting, music, flower arrangement, poetry, etc). Elements of visual
composition are arranged according to the use of asymmetrical triangles. In the
principle group, set on the left of the foreground, the tall standing stone at
nearly 1.8m above ground is the tallest stone in the entire garden. It has a
complex, worn texture and is deep green in colour (the stones for the garden
were mainly sourced from a glacial deposit near Cookstown, County Tyrone). The
stone looms majestically up out of the earth, the stone itself is over 2.5 tons
in weight. In the Eastern view a stone represents permanence, solidity and
integrity. The precise setting of the stone, in terms of its orientation,
height, and angle of repose, took nearly two hours to complete; and from this
‘axis mundi’, all the other stones in the garden have been arranged in
relation.
Set close to and slightly overlapping the principal stone
(to the right side, when viewed from the lobby) is a strongly contrasting
purple slate standing stone. The juxtaposition of the two stones also allows
their overall shape to be read as one. The contrasting textures of the two
stones, is intended to give play to the complex interaction of yin and yang energies.
Also, to hint at the psychological complexity of the character of Sionna
herself. The third stone of the immediate arrangement lies lower down to the
left of the two standing stones. The attitude of this stone is supplicatory
toward the two other standing pieces. The powerful, thrusting vertical force is
therefore tempered, rooted, by the more horizontally inclined stone. In this
way the arrangement is harmonised internally, also an implied sense of movement
and harmony may also be appreciated by the viewer. There is a stillness within
the movement.
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