Re-framing Disability Exhibition
During this year's National Heritage Week the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is hosting an award-winning exhibition exploring historical depictions of disabilities in medical literature and contemporary responses from disabled people.
After successful runs at the Royal College of Physicians in London, the University of Leicester and St Pancras Hospital, Re-Framing Disability will be on display in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, 6 Kildare St, Dublin 2 from 20 – 24 August 2012.
The exhibition explores a group of rare portraits from the 17th to the 19th centuries, held by the Royal College of Physicians in London. The portraits depict disabled men and women of all ages and walks of life, many of whom earned a living exhibiting themselves to the public.
Some individuals, such as conjoined 'Siamese' twins Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–74), are still famous today. Others, including professional artist Thomas Inglefield (b 1769), who was born without legs or hands, are now forgotten.
The exhibition uncovers the extraordinary hidden histories behind the portraits and looks at their impact today through contemporary responses from disabled people. 27 disabled participants from across the UK were invited to have their photographic portraits taken and be filmed. Their responses form an important part of the exhibition.
Heralded by an international panel of judges as 'inspired' and 'challenging',
Re-framing Disability won an Ability Media International 'Visual Arts Award' in 2011.
Entry to Re-framing Disability is free of charge and will be open to the public at the following times:
Monday 20 August, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Tuesday 21 August, 12.00pm – 8.00pm
Wednesday 22 August, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Thursday 23 August, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Friday 24 August, 10.00am – 4.00pm
There is no need to pre-book, however large groups of 15 or more people are asked to contact the Heritage Centre in RCPI in advance on 01 6698817 or
heritagecentre@rcpi.ie.
This project has been supported by
Shape and the
Wellcome Trust. The exhibition will be on display at the Dublin City Library and Archives from 3 - 28 September 2012. RCPI wishes to thank Dublin City Library and Archives for their part in bringing this ground-breaking project to Ireland.