UNCOMMON LAND — WHERE PUBLIC IS PRIVATE
EILIS MURPHY (IE)
EXHIBIT
FRI 22.06.12 - SAT 08.09.12
Uncommon Land is an experimental urban intervention which sets out to
explore subdivisions that exist within cities, highlighting invisible borders
between public and private. The project invites members of the public
to participate in acts (taking a photo) that are normally unremarkable,
but that are locally contested because of the legal status of the area
in which they are carried out. Uncommon Land tests the boundaries
of what is arbitrarily forbidden within certain spaces in the city.
Ownership and control of public spaces and public services are
gradually being transferred to private corporations. Often this transfer
of power alters how the public perceives and uses the city, especially
privately owned ‘public’ areas. This project seeks to question the
subdivisions that exist within cities, highlighting the invisible borders
between public and private streets. It is intended to be an intervention
into the politics of these spaces, a polite confrontation with the
highly controlled and privately policed nature of these zones.
During HACK THE CITY, members of the public will be invited to
participate in a flashmob, the documentation of which will be included
within the exhibition as a series of photos, film footage and a map.
BIO: Eilis Murphy holds a first class BA in Fine Art Print from the
National College of Art and Design (2004) and is currently studying
Arts, Participation and Development at Cork Institute of Technology.
She was a recipient of the Mayo County Council Material Assistance
Award (2009) and participated in the CAP Foundation residency
(2004/2005), Custom House Westport residency (2005) and The
Center for Book Arts internship programme, New York (2003). Recent
solo exhibitions include: Galway Arts Centre (2007), Custom House
Gallery Westport (2007), and recent group exhibitions include Shoot
the Tiger, Pretty Vacant, Dublin (2012); Upstart, Dublin (2011).
Uncommon Land is an experimental urban intervention which sets out to explore subdivisions that exist within cities, highlighting invisible borders between public and private. The project invites members of the public to participate in acts (taking a photo) that are normally unremarkable, but that are locally contested because of the legal status of the area in which they are carried out. Uncommon Land tests the boundaries of what is arbitrarily forbidden within certain spaces in the city.
Ownership and control of public spaces and public services are gradually being transferred to private corporations. Often this transfer of power alters how the public perceives and uses the city, especially privately owned ‘public’ areas. This project seeks to question the subdivisions that exist within cities, highlighting the invisible borders between public and private streets. It is intended to be an intervention into the politics of these spaces, a polite confrontation with the highly controlled and privately policed nature of these zones.
During HACK THE CITY, members of the public will be invited to participate in a flashmob, the documentation of which will be included within the exhibition as a series of photos, film footage and a map.
BIO: Eilis Murphy is a multidisciplinary artist who uses a combination of old and new media to create art. Mapping plays a central role in her work, providing a method/device to explore people’s interactions, memories and relationship with specific spaces within a community. Working from this base, her practice examines hidden narratives, power structures or values that underpin and meld together a locality or community. Her work has been exhibited in Ireland and internationally.