Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Sorcha Fitzgerald 

BA [Hons] Visual Communication Design

Hello! My Name is Sorcha and I am really happy to be a part of this years On Show at IADT. I have a strong interest in editorial design, spatial design and enjoy working across print and screen. I am passionate about socially conscious design and aim to create meaningful concepts grounded in real world context. Research and strategy are at the heart of my process and this allows me to be experimental in my image-making while remaining concept-focused. I like to work systematically when problem solving, telling stories through bold copywriting, balanced typography and playful visuals. Last year, I completed an amazing internship in the Berlin based studio Foundry!

Project Description

Catharsis is a multi-sensory and alcohol-free nightlife experience set in 2030. It challenges the traditional concept of a night-out and validates the growing desire among young people to drink less while acknowledging their unwavering need for an emotional escape from daily life. As an important rite of passage within youth culture, nightlife is essential in providing young adults with moments of freedom and the licence to let go. The future speculation of this project is grounded in academic research which predicts a 20% drop in alcohol consumption among young adults by 2040 as they become more conscious of their health and wellbeing. The cathartic experience triggers the same neurochemical reactions as alcohol using external stimuli such as light, sound and temperature. In this way, it replicates the physical and emotional sensations of being drunk without consuming any alcohol. Backed by science and grounded in human connection, it’s goal is to get people out of their head, into their body and create a space where they can lose their inhibitions.



Thesis Title

Worker’s Rights are Women’s Rights: Intersections of Class, Race and Gender as Apparent in the Dunnes Stores Anti-Apartheid Strike 1984-1987

The Dunnes Stores Strike 1984-1987 was a consumer goods boycott carried out by a group of working class Irish women as a protest against the South African apartheid regime. It drew international attention to the suffering of black South African women under the trifold oppression of gender, class and race. This strike also highlighted the issue in the conscience of the Irish public. My thesis investigates the role of social movements in 1980’s Ireland and examines how this strike was a pivotal example of female activism within the Irish solidarity campaign. My thesis also aims to understand why such a significant moment in Irish social history has been largely omitted from the historical narrative, and aims to correct this. The themes and arguments presented are supported by visual evidence published by the various Anti-Apartheid Movements and photographs taken by the photojournalist Derek Spiers.