Momentum, 9 July - 29 August

The Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) is delighted to reopen their building to visitors for the first time since March 2020 by launching a biannual exhibition called Momentum, which will present the work of emerging architects and collectives every two years, around whom exists a growing critical consensus. The title takes its meaning from the equation for Momentum as mass multiplied by velocity; signalling a new generation of architects on a forward trajectory, who so far have amassed a considerable amount of activity and recognition.

This year's chosen Irish architects are Noreile Breen based in Dublin and Kerry, t o b Architect based between Dublin and Tipperary and plattenbaustudio based in Berlin. These architects have made site-specific work especially for the IAF’s HQ on Dublin’s Bachelor’s Walk.

‘Noreile Breen, t o b Architect and plattenbaustudio, are re-imagining the future of architectural practice, and their work demonstrates a high degree of sensitivity to context, to the environment and to the public’ says Nathalie Weadick, Director of the IAF.

‘As well as supporting the work of emerging practice this exhibition also advances the IAF’s ambition to create more opportunities to engage the public in architecture through exhibitions. We need more exhibition venues for architecture and design in Ireland.’ commented Weadick.

Momentum allows space and time for the architect to test a theory, revisit an old idea afresh, or present a proposition without the constraints of the design and construction processes involved in making a building. Momentum is used as a stopping off point, a paused moment for reflection, for experiment and provocation.

As you walk down Bachelors Walk, visible on the granite steps of IAF sits a 450mm x 450mm concave pyramid lined with 24 carat gold; a device for capturing sunlight, by Noreile Breen. Mounted on a tripod it is flexible to follow and orientate with the movement of the sun. A duplicate device roams the city chasing sunlight and engaging with the public directly. Light is an important and recurrent building material for Breen. She has a particular interest in natural light and this artwork represents a development of latent ideas in her practice. 

A structure by t o b Architect called incredibly boring and strange welcomes you as you enter the lobby. You are curious and go down the back stairs and enter the basement where the platform is revealed from the other side. The strange structure is not an object in the room; it is the room, a space that holds the person. O’Brien’s practice incorporates an on-going examination of the interrelated nature of material things and people.  

On the first floor gallery is a large-scale installation All Mod Cons that presents the results of one year of research conducted by plattenbaustudio into the typology of bedsits in Dublin’s inner city. The installation calls into question the accepted minimum standards for housing in Ireland, and seeks to add to the growing discussion around how we live, as well as the universal human need to make a home.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication Momentum 21 designed by Peter Maybury, with essays by Emma Lucy O’Brien, Elizabeth Hatz and Clara Herrmann. 

The exhibition will open to the public on Friday 9 July and will run until Sunday 29 August. The IAF building will be accessible to visitors from Wednesday to Sunday, 10.00-18.00 throughout the exhibition, and entry will be by a pre-booked time slot, which can be arranged through the IAF website.

Visitor Information

On view: Friday 9 July - Sunday 29 August 2021
Opening hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 10.00 - 18.00 
Venue: Irish Architecture Foundation, 15 Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1
Admission Free

Momentum Events

Thursday 29 July, 18.00-19.30: Public Seminar
‘On Curating’, with presentations by t o b Architect, Noreile Breen and plattenbaustudio, followed by a panel discussion, chaired by Nathalie Weadick (IAF Director).

Thursday 5 August 11.00-12.30: Participatory Workshop
'On Practice' - a participatory workshop for architectural graduates, with t o b Architect, Noreile Breen and plattenbaustudio