StrayCats

The Breathing Factory, is presented at the DePaul Art Museum, Chicago

In 2005, the Republic of Ireland was defined as the ‘most globalised economy in the world’ (IDA 2006) with full employment. In 2010, the prognosis is for close to 15% unemployment.
The Breathing Factory critically addresses the role and representation of labour and global labour practices in Ireland’s newly industrialised landscape as manifest in manufacturing and technology. Global industrial practices are characterised by ‘fleeting alliances’ (O’Riain 2000); transient spaces as capital moves when and as required. In such an ephemeral and global context, the project focuses specifically upon the Hewlett-Packard Manufacturing and Technology Campus, part of a cluster formation of multinational technology complexes, in Leixlip in the east of Ireland. Following nine months of negotiation regarding access and completed over a 20 month period, the work is the result of a practice-led doctoral research project incorporating ethnographic practices in its undertaking. Further information can be found here and here.

Mark Curran (b. 1964) is and artist and educator who lives and works in Berlin and Dublin. He is an Associate Lecturer in Photography at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dun Laoghaire (IADT-DL), a PhD Candidate through the Centre for Transcultural Research and Media Practice, DIT and a lecturer at BerlinPhotoWorkshops.

Upcoming: Curran will present a paper on an aspect of The Breathing Factory related to his practice-led doctoral research at the 98th Annual College Arts Association (CAA) Conference also in Chicago from February 10th to the 13th. The panel on Friday, February 12th, beginning at 2.30 pm is titled: ‘The Photographic Act: Event, Encounter, Configuration, Network’ and is chaired by Damian P. Sutton and Ken Neil, both of the Glasgow School of Art. See here for further details.

DePaul Art Museum // 2350 N. Kenmore Avenue // Chicago, IL 60614
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 14th, 5–7 PM
An artist talk in the gallery begins at 3.30 PM
Show continues until March 19th, 2010

The Breathing Factory (2006) published by Edition Braus, Heidelberg with the support of Belfast Exposed Photography, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Gallery of Photography, Dublin.