Stuart Whipps’ new performance and installation, The Leviathan of Parsonstown, shares its title with the name given to the historic telescope that sits in the ornate grounds of Birr Castle in Offaly. Built in 1845, it remained the largest telescope in the world for seventy two years, drawing visitors to see the previously-unknown spirals of faraway galaxies. Its creation was driven by the tremendous personal wealth of Mary Parsons, the wife of its patron, William Parsons. Whipps’ points out the materials that made one of Ireland’s greatest scientific wonders possible – ‘Parsons saw the potential in using speculum metal, an alloy made from copper and tin, as the material for the reflective mirror – in order to learn about the stars above our heads, we must first extract metals from the rocks and mud that sit beneath our feet.’

Continued research for Whipps has led to the James Mitchell Geology Museum, founded in 1852 at the University of Galway with thousands of rock, mineral and fossil specimens, along with the remains of a larger natural history museum once on campus. Still appearing as a nineteenth century room with few modern updates, it referred to by many as a ‘museum of a museum’. Given full access to the collection throughout 2024, Whipps has worked closely with the site, artefacts and the generosity, endless knowledge and enthusiasm of curator John Murray, teasing out a new performance artwork on November 2 and a subtle rearrangement of objects and labelling in the museum. Whipps recently wrote. “It’s about the shaping of the world in all of the scales and timeframes that suggests. I’m interested in the scramble for knowledge and understanding, the extraction of precious metals and minerals, the construction of buildings and monuments and the idiosyncratic characters and stories that drive it all along. The work will almost certainly never be finished.”

The Leviathan of Parsonstown is additionally supported by Birmingham City University.

Opening times:
Mon-Fri 10-4pm | Sat-Sun 12-6pm