Dr Orla Ryan

Research Interests

Dr. Ryan's research is in the area of art,  visual culture and   comparative research in  film; She conducts her  research through an interdisciplinary, collaborative  and practice based  model  and has presented outcomes from  this research  in different formats including written research,  conference presentations, creative writing, curating of  exhibitions/screenings and  her art practice which has been exhibited nationally and internationally.  Her research has been funded by  the Fulbright Commission, The Irish Research Council, The British Council, The Arts Council, Culture Ireland, JM Kaplan Fund, New York, The Carlow Arts Office and Art Links.

Currently Dr. Ryan's research includes modernity and modernization, history and memory and  their relationship to art,  photography and film; The representation  of women's involvement in 1916; comparative approaches to the study of film and moving image installations. Her current  art research practice is engaged with  the early 20th century and  19th century in Ireland.  

An ongoing part of Ryan's research is the curation of artist's films and moving image installations. These include  Dinh Q. Líª’s The Colony, (2016), Spring Watching Pavilion  (2015) The Borris Rural Film Festival (2014), Candice Breitz’s Him+ Her, (2013) Ursula Biemann's Sahara Chronicles (2008); Trinh T. Min-ha Night Passage & The Fourth Dimension (2008); Mairead McClean Bell(a)exchange (2007.

Engagement and Collaboration

Membership /Organizations/ Boards

Research Awards & Funding

Since 2005, Dr. Ryan has supervised art undergraduate theses in the areas of art, film and visual culture in her role as lecturer in the Wexford Campus. Dr. Ryan also supervised MA film studies theses in DCU during her time there.

Areas of Interest for future Supervision Role

• Academic or practice based research in the areas of contemporary art practice & visual culture, the essay film and moving image installation.

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Ryan, O, (2013) 'A Visual essay in memory of PW' , Considering Comparative Film Studies: in memory of  Paul Willemen(eds) Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Kim Soyoung, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, (Vol 14  Number ) March 2013, Routledge.

Ryan, O. (2001)' Between Lost and Found: The Films  of Matthew  Buckingham', Afterimage: The Journal of Media Arts and Criticism, (Vol.28 No 5 2001)Rochester, New York.

Books and Book Chapters

Ryan, O., Hand, B., O'Kelly A. (2016) Thug  said oí­che ar guairdeall dom- They left me wandering all night Public Art  Commission  for  the GPO  Witness History Museum. Published by Folded Leaf Press, Dublin. Four copies recently requested by the British Library.

Connolly, M., Ryan, O.(eds) (2000) The Glass Eye.  This publication is an interdisciplinary publication including art  work specifically made for book format, critical  texts and essays by artists on their art practice, Project Press, Dublin.

Ryan, O. & Hand, B. (2015) 'Entre Chien et Loup – extract of performance text' in Between a Dog and a Wolf   ed. Sarah Brown, publication part of the  CCA’s Our Neighbourhood , a participatory public project led by Sarah Browne, Derry.

Ryan, O. (ed) (2004) Eigse Catalogue. Texts on the following artists: Mairead  McClean; Jaoa Penalva; Laila Pakalnina; Ania Corcilius; Steven  Eastwood;   Mark O’Kelly, Carlow Arts Festival, Carlow.

Ryan, O. (2000) 'Teratology and the Televisual in Manhunter', in The Glass Eye (eds) Maeve Connolly and Orla Ryan, The Project Press, Dublin.

Ryan, O. (2000) 'Xavier Veilhan' in Vivre  Sa Vie edited by Tanya Leighton, Tramway, Glasgow.

Art Works (Photographs) in Books

Je Veux (2000) One Star Press and Palais de Tokyo, Paris. Onestar Press invited  twenty artists/editors to curate a number of artists to  contribute a one-page project. Invited by   artit Tim Maul.

Charley 01, (2001) Les Presse du Reel, edited by Maurizio Cattelan, Massimiliano Gioni and Ali Subotnick.  Charley 01 features 400 emerging artists from around the world, selected by a pool of international artists, curators, critics and art professionals.

Conference Proceedings and Papers

'Representations of the Women Couriers of 1916', Women's Voices Conference University College Cork, June 2017.

'Commemoration  and Reverse Engineering – a case study on the invention of the Irish Wolfhound with Brian Hand', Object Matters: Making Memory: Material and Visual Culture of Commemoration in Ireland, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Oct, 2016.

'Women and Conflict',  Panel presentation with Huong Ngo, Brian Hand and Alanna O’Kelly, The  Vietnamese Women’s Museum, Hanoi Vietnam, May 2016. This was part of the Official Centenary Programme of The Irish Embassy of Vietnam and was opened by the Irish Ambassador Cáit Moran.

'Eye of The Beholder' – Woman of the World Festival, Void Gallery, Derry. Panel also included Professor Siun Hanrahan, Kathleen McCreery, Nov 2015.

'Africa and African Diasporic Cinema',  Carlow African Film Festival  Symposium with  Florence Ayisi, Obi Emelonye, Orla Ryan (chair and convener),keynote Dr. Hal Weaver, Institute of Technology, Carlow, Oct 2008.

'Imagining an African Cinema – how to encourage and develop a platform for the representation of the African experience in Ireland' Carlow African Film Festival (convener). invited speakers: Bisis Adigun (TCD), Martin McCabe (DIT), Dr. Aine O’Brien (FOMACS), Ebere Uwa (DCU), Dr. Daniel Jewesbury (University of Ulster) Keynote speaker Professor Mbye Cham (Howard University), Sep 2007.

'Peter Watkins' La Commune', Kunstverein Munich. Panel presentation during exhibition of Deimantas Narkevicius  Mindaugas  Simkus and Peter Watkins, Sept 2002.

'Pierre Huyghe and the politics of memory', Cultures in Conflict Conference, Feb 2002, Dublin City University.

'Panel Response', Counter Productive Industries curated by Nato Thompson, 1926 Halsted Gallery, April 2000, Chicago.

'Alternative Mainstream, Mainstream Alternative:  The viability of the Artist-Led Initiative' Ormeau Baths Gallery,February 1999, Belfast.

'Mildred Pierce - my mother a waitress- feminism, class and American Post War Society', American Reel History Conference, Mary Immaculate College, Nov 1998 Limerick.

Selected Public Talks and Lectures

'Women and The Revolution', Presentation with Alanna O'Kelly. Speakers also included Helen Maher and Elaine Callinan, The Reading Room, Visual, Dec 2016. As part of the programme attached to our research project & exhibition Stormy Petrel/Guairdeall.

'Feminist Punk Culture', Launch of Seamus Nolan and Upstate Theatre’s publication Subvert All Power- Drogheda’s Punk History. Panel included Nigel Rolfe, Dave Lordan and Paddy Dillon, Drogheda Arts Centre, Aug 2016.

'Spring Watching Pavilion', curators talk, Nov 2015, Void Gallery, Derry.

In conversation with filmmaker Pat Murphy on the screening of Tana Bana, Nov 2015, Blackstairs Film Society, Borris.

In conversation with  film maker Clare Langan on the making of The Floating World and Langan’s practice, with a recital by poet Kerry Hardy, April 2015,Visual, Carlow in partnership with Poetry Ireland.

Voice box Visual, Oct 2014, Carlow.  Invited to discuss my creative practice.

Curator’s talk on Trinh T. Minh-ha’s film practice at the opening of her exhibition at the Void Gallery, Sept 2008, Derry.

'Fragmentation and the moving Image in Contemporary Art', public talk, Jan 2003, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin.

'The Final Girl', paper presented as invited lecture to MA film students, Nov 2003, Coleraine University.

'Chris Marker’s Immemory- a CD Rom', public talk, May 2002, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin.

Talk given with Maeve Connolly  to the Communications  Research  Seminar on The Glass Eye  publication and TV Project, a collaborative   art project with Valerie Connor and Maeve Connolly, March 2002, Dublin City University.

'Cinematic representations of Ballymun', The Sociology Dept, Maynooth College, Jan 2002. Talk given to the postgraduate seminar group.

'Modernization and the aesthetics of disenchanted romanticism in Irish Film'. Irish Film   Centre. Paper given to the Trinity Summer School, July 2001.Invited by Prof. Luke Gibbons.

Artist talk with Brian Hand on the Fire Dept. As part of the Nomads and Residents series of talks Art Resource Tranfer, Chelsea, April 2000 New York.

Artist Talk given to the Arts Administration Program School of the Art Institute of Chicago, April 2000.Invited by Dr. Greg Sholette.

Artist Talk with Brian Hand and Rose Thomas on the 'Fire Dept'. a collaborative  art  project exhibited in the CCA as part of If I ruled The World , May 2000,  CCA Gallery, Glasgow.

'The Address...geography as a history lesson of Dublin: Cinematic representations of Ballymun', Aug 1999, Parnell Summer School, Avondale House, Wicklow. Invited by Alex White (Chair 1999).

five29ninety9 Symposium, St Ann’s Church, New York, May 1999. Presentation on my art practice. Invited by Andrea Ray and Matthew Buckingham.

Artist talk on my art practice discordant...hum during the exhibition Eurocentral, Nov 1998, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow.

Whitney Museum Independent Study Program, New York.  Presentation on my art practice, Oct 1996.

Practice Based Research presented in art & film exhibition format