• BA Visual Culture

Marie Greene

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum: A Modern Museum Creating Prosthetic Memories

My research paper presents a thorough exploration of the museum’s ability to create ‘prosthetic memories’ – a term coined by researcher Alison Landsberg – by focusing on how EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin employs digital technology in place of artefacts.
Through her concept of prosthetic memories, Landsberg has opened the door on an idea of memories that are not experienced first-hand, but are nonetheless taken on as memories, largely through empathy and a person’s life experiences. Prosthetic memories tend to be unrecognised, yet play an important role in bridging cultural and societal gaps.
My research explores EPIC’s Irish-centred digital content and interactive technology to understand the key factors involved in the museum’s ability to create and transmit prosthetic memories. This analysis makes it possible to better understand the power and influence of the delivery of content and use of technology in EPIC, and how these conditions could be replicated in other sites.