Wingblade exemplifies the way in which material determines form. This piece is O'Connell's attempt to defy gravity, a feat made possible by the use of carbon fibre as a result of its unrivalled strength-weight ratio. From one approach the work appears stable, yet the uppermost 'point' of the piece is an undercut sliver of material with little physical support. As it thrusts itself into the air, the use of technologically advanced materials to produce this work, in addition to its title, leads us to associate Wingblade with aeronautics.

However, in keeping with O'Connell's Biomorphia collection the piece sets up a dichotomy between the artificial and the natural. This seemingly abstract form is, in fact, firmly rooted within the natural world. Having been inspired by the human scapula, or shoulder blade bone, in addition to the forms of simple organisms such as slugs and snails, Wingblade represents a reversal of traditional definitions of biomorphism; it uses the living world to evoke one that is abstract.