Policing Dialogues (2007–11)

Policing Dialogues was a four year project (2007-2011) exploring power and policing in Dublin. Born from existing relationships developed through a long term artist residency in Rialto Youth Project, the What's the Story? collective was established to push the boundaries of collaboration between young people, youth workers and resident artist. Our practice became focused on an intense exploration of power, both in their collaborative relationships and their individual lived experiences. Central to the process was a collection of personal anonymous stories, which formed the bedrock of all work.   What’s the Story? Collective were: Jamie Hendrick, Jonathan Myers, Michael Byrne, Nicola Whelan, Graham Dunphy, Vanessa Kenny, Garrett Kenny, Rialto Youth Project staff Gillian O Connor and Nichola Mooney, and artist Fiona Whelan.   For further information about this project, see: ‘TEN: Territory, Encounter & Negotiation’, a critical memoir by Fiona Whelan, 2014. For further reflection and analyses of this event, see: ‘Beating the Bounds of Socially Engaged Art? A  Transdisciplinary Dialogue on a Collaborative Art Project with Youth in Dublin’,  Fiona Whelan & Kevin Ryan, Field Journal, Spring 2016 or my PhD thesis.   The project manifested in a series of public works:

Anonymous (2008)

Each person told a story in response to the question: ‘Can you tell me about a moment in your life...

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Section 8 (2009)

By positioning the vehicle in significant public space and engaging a variety of relevant publics in dialogues and creative interactions,...

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Eight Dublin Lithuanian Stories (2009)

The film was shot in various locations in Dublin and was based on the personal experiences of Dublin based Lithuanian...

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The Day in Question (2009)

The Day in Question event was staged in a triangle arrangement bringing together What's the Story? Collective on one side,...

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Policing Dialogues (2010)

This creative and learning residency was aimed at all audiences but particularly at critical thinkers, policy makers, young people and...

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