Introduction

In the summer of 2008, Ian Russell curated a series of contemporary art projects entitled Ábhar agus Meon as part of Ireland’s hosting of the Sixth World Archaeological Congress at University College Dublin. The projects were placed in the shared spaces between the contemporary arts, archaeology and heritage in Ireland. This introduction is a reflective statement and contextualization of the projects and the intellectual history of the relationship between art and archaeology.

Ian Russell

Ian Russell is a postdoctoral researcher with the School of Archaeology at University College Dublin. He directed and curated the Ábhar agus Meon contemporary art exhibition series for the Sixth World Archaeological Congress. His research interests include visual and material culture, contemporary art, intellectual history and archaeological theory. More information on his work is available at www.iarchitectures.com.