8pm, Thursday 13th October at the Galway City Museum
Architect Orla Murphy will present a public lecture exploring the character of and challenges facing Irish Rural towns.
The lecture questions current planning methods and proposes alternative strategies for the design of living, working and playing space in the 21st century town
About Orla Murphy
Orla Murphy is an architect who lives and works in Westport Co. Mayo and a studio in the School of Architecture, UCD.
In 2007 Orla and her partner Dermot McCabe appointed architects in residence in Cavan town. Their work there culminated in an exhibition and book entitled Atlas of Cavan, which aimed to re-imagine the potential of backland spaces within the town.
In 2009 Orla was the recipient of the biennial Kevin Kieran Award from the Arts Council. The award allowed her to spend two years researching the the history, morphology, character and rituals that make up the tapestry of Ireland’s 233 rural towns.
Orla is particularily interested in the suburbanisation of towns and how it has impacted upon the occupation and use of town cores. Her work questions traditonal planning methods and proposes alternative strategies for the design of living, working and playing space in the 21st century town. Murphy will present her research in a series of public lectures in a tour of Irish towns during Autumn 2011 and Spring 2012.
