Temperance

Temperance (2010) is a sculptural work by Peter Maybury and Tom dePaor, made at the invitation of Elizabeth Hatz, curator of EV+A for the 2010 edition of the exhibition. It is fabricated from four 6mm mild steel sheets each 3000 x 1500 mm, its scale and geometry derived from these commonly available sheet sizes. The four plates incline and are seam welded. Its form is a truncated, inverted pyramid. At the centre of each plate two stacked letterforms are inscribed by oxy-acetylene torch, spelling out A R E T H U S A. Fabricated from mild steel, its rapid oxidation results in total discolouration, contaminating the rainwater which flows onto the courtyard. Temperance was installed on the forecourt of the Hunt Museum from 2010 until 2022 when it was re-sited at VISUAL, Carlow for inclusion in I See Earth: Building and Ground. It was subsequently moved to Dysart, Greystones, where it currently resides.