Isobel Harbison investigates method and practice in the work of Sean Lynch, winner of the inaugural Gallery of Photography–Irish Arts Review Photography award
‘Research-based’ is a term used to describe a contemporary art practice, which, unlike scientific research does not aim to uncover ‘new’ information or proof. Here, the artist’s means and intentions are different, often presenting a range of archive or found material in order to unveil a multitude of possible truths. This practice of overturning begins with the presentation of a particular history often through several contradictory accounts, ‘[charging] it so full of content, it almost collapses upon a previous understanding of it’ and is consistent with many 20th-century critical rejections of attempts to create a universal narrative
