The Museum of Contemporary Photography of Ireland

The Ark Children’s Council during a supervised visit to the museum in 2019 where they enjoyed a private tour to all the exhibits and joined a discussion about the future Photography museum.

Towards a Museum for Visual Culture & Critical Thinking

In Autumn 2017, PhotoIreland started specific research around Photography in Ireland, a project part of the Critical Academy. The aim of the research is to publicly define, evaluate, and reflect on the current situation of the practice and all the elements that affect it, sharing results and recommendations along the way, and proposing benchmarked improvements.

The Museum of Contemporary Photography of Ireland is part of that practice based research, specifically aiming to create the ideal prototype space to actively engage with Visual Culture and Critical Thinking today. Instead of replicating old museum models and structures that have demonstrated to be problematic, PhotoIreland proposes a public investigation to creatively define a unique model that truly engages with the complexities of the 21st century, in addition to those related to the discipline. The research sets an important departure towards a new arena where Art and cultural practices and their socio-political context can be both enjoyed and examined in a richly participatory way, with the use of contemporary methodologies.

This first iteration of the Museum project launched on Thursday 4th July 2019 at The Printworks in Dublin Castle as a temporary event for the month of July, with the kind support of The Office of Public Works (OPW). However, from 2022 to 2025, the museum will present at the same location every July an evolving model, openly investigating experimental and critical propositions in aspects relating to museology, curation, cultural policy and Arts management. This four-years cycle aims to present ambitious exhibitions that will set the legacy of what the museum aims to become.

If you would like to find out more about the project, the programme for 2022-2025, or if you wish to contribute and participate, please contact PhotoIreland Director, Ángel Luis González at angel@photoireland.org

Staff

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