Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Aoife Murphy 

BA [Hons] Art

Aoife Murphy is an artist born in Dublin who is currently based in County Cavan. She works with a range of media, including pencil and paint. Murphy’s work mainly revolves around psychology and human behaviour due to her own personal interest in these topics. She has taken part in five group exhibitions in the past four years, four of which were IADT student exhibitions. These were in collaboration with IMMA, Pallas Projects, the United Arts Club, St. Vincent’s University Hospital and Cavan County Museum.

Project Description

Aoife Murphy’s work explores the history of surveillance and its role in shaping human behaviour. The Panopticon is a type of institutional building and system of control designed by Jeremy Bentham in 1791. This system was used in several prisons as it allowed all of the prisoners to be observed by a single security guard, without inmates being able to tell whether or not they were being watched. Using a variety of media and techniques, Aoife’s work investigates the connections between the history of the Panopticon and aspects of surveillance in today’s society. She also explores changing human behaviour and attitudes with regards to surveillance, focusing particularly on rural contexts. Methods of surveillance tend to alter when used in a rural setting, as opposed to urban. Aoife’s drawings draw attention to various forms of surveillance, including signage and mirrors, that are becoming increasingly common within the rural environment.