We’re delighted to be spending time with curator Elham Puriya Mehr during her one-week curatorial residency at Void Art Centre. This research, which has been ongoing for two years, explores coffeehouses as unique spaces for sharing and creating knowledge – examining their role as alternative learning environments.
For the residency at Void Art Centre, Elham aims to explore the potentialities of coffeehouses through a multifaceted approach. This includes on-site exploration, archival research, a curator’s talk, and interviews with local artists, writers, publishers, and scholars. This approach is designed to deepen the understanding of these vibrant social spaces.
Ireland’s earliest coffeehouses began to appear in the mid 17th Century, establishing a strong connection with the world of publishing, particularly newspapers. Many publishers not only operated these coffeehouses but also used them as venues for distributing reading material. Due to the high cost of books, often driven up by publishing taxes, most people relied on the free copies available in coffeehouses for their reading. These establishments also boasted extensive archives and collections, including international books and newspapers, which were easily accessible to patrons. This availability fostered a vibrant culture of knowledge exchange and discourse in cities such as Derry, significantly enriching social and cultural life during this period. The Derry Journal, launched in 1772, is a prime example of this phenomenon.
Conducted in Tehran, London, Trieste, Istanbul, and Vancouver, the research’s next phase in Derry aims to explore how coffeehouses can foster new vocabularies, practices, and knowledge that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In today’s hierarchical learning spaces, where public accessibility is often limited, this research serves as a catalyst to envision innovative techniques and devices for learning. By reconceptualising ‘learning’ as a communicative act involving the sharing, sensing, and exchanging of knowledge, It aims to promote a more inclusive and accessible approach to knowledge making; the form of learning that prioritises the experiences of ‘joy’ and ‘freedom’.
Yesterday, alongside our monthly potluck, Elham presented her research during a curator’s talk and discussion. Together, we exchanged knowledge about informal learning environments within Irish culture, and the difference between transactional spaces and those that enable conversation. We also spoke about gender within the history of coffeehouses, and the role that large corporations play in the loss of gathering spaces.
The residency is made possible through the generous support of the Art Abroad grant from the Canada Council for the Arts
