Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
I am a cultural historian specialising in design, visual culture and material culture as cultural history. My background is as a graphic designer which has framed my research as being practice-informed. In summary it is interdisciplinary in focus, frequently collaborative, often public-facing (including tv, radio, exhibitions and public talks) and typically combines historical, theoretical and practice-based concerns. I have been a consultant for many organisations including the Department of Foreign Affairs, RTE, the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin City Council, the ESB, The National Archives (UK), the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland and several media companies.
I have been publishing on Irish design (particularly graphic design) for over twenty-five years and have authored the first substantive surveys in the field. My current research interests centre on the digitisation and accessibility of cultural heritage, the role of women in design professionalisation, the visual culture of aviation and travel, regional and mid-century Modernisms and the cultural impact of museum collections. These subjects are typically framed by discourses of national identity, post-colonialism and decolonisation.
Much of my recent work in these areas has been informed by being the Senior IADT Researcher on the FilmEU project CongoVR, a project shared with Lusofona University (Lisbon) and LUCA School of Arts (Belgium) that digitised and made publically accessible for the first time in ninety years, the Panorama of Congo (1913), one of the most infamous pieces of Belgian colonial propaganda: https://congopanorama.filmeu.eu/. This project has resulted in several international exhibitions, with more in the planning stage and under discussion.
At IADT I am a founder member of Thought Lab, a research cluster embracing collaborative and interdisciplinary arts and humanities research focused on, or arising from creative practice; I chair the Institute's Research and Ethics Committee; and I am a Creation Bridge Lead for Elevate, IADT's research capacitation project. I represent IADT nationally on Design Educators Ireland (DEI) and internationally at ELIA (the European League of Institutes of the Arts). I have been an invited member of the UNESCO affliated AICA (Association Internationale des Critiques d’Art) for over twenty years.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Oral History Training, British Library
2022
Aurora Women in Leadership Training
2019 → 2020
Doctorate, Traditions and Modernities: Aer Lingus and the Visualisation of Irish Identities, 1951-1961, Dublin City University
… → 2007
Postgraduate - Masters, Progressive Housing: the Role of Two Industrial Families in the Development of Philanthropic Architecture in Dublin, National College of Art and Design
Bachelor, Visual Communications and Art and Design History (Joint Honours), National College of Art and Design
External positions
Member: Historical Studies Committee, Royal Irish Academy
2022 → 2027
Expert Advisor: Changing Ireland Galleries, National Museum of Ireland
2021 → 2026
Chair: Strategy & Engagement Committee, National Museum of Ireland
2019 → 2022
Board Member:, National Museum of Ireland
Nov 2018 → Nov 2023
Visiting Scholar, Concordia University
Jun 2018 → Jul 2018
External Examiner: PhD, Royal College of Art
2017
Visiting Scholar, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Sep 2014
External Examiner: Graphic Design, University of Brighton
2014 → 2018
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
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Elizabeth Fitz-Simon: Professionalising Graphic Design in Ireland
King, L., 2025, Women Graphic Designers: Rebalancing the Canon . Resnick, E. (ed.). London: BloomsburyResearch output: Book chapters and conference proceedings › Book chapter › peer-review
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Exposing Contrasts: a conversation with Matthew Standard on the Panorama of Congo and Belgian colonial propaganda
Matthew G. Stanard, King, L. & Flores, V., 2025, In: The Panoramic & Immersive Media Studies (PIMS) Yearbook. 2Research output: Journal article › Article › peer-review
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The Panorama of Congo: Decolonising Heritage Through Artistic Research
Flores, V., Engelen, L., King, L. & David Mendes, A., Feb 2025, In: International Journal of Stereo & Immersive Media. 9, 1, p. 120-142Research output: Journal article › Article › peer-review
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The Republic of Ireland: 1945-2000
King, L., 2024, (Submitted) World History of Design. Margolin, V., Margolin, S. & Houze, R. (eds.). 1 ed. London: Bloomsbury, Vol. 3. (World History of Design; vol. 3, no. 1).Research output: Book chapters and conference proceedings › Book chapter › peer-review
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Irish Design In France
King, L., 2023, Department of Foreign Affairs.Research output: Other research output (including blogs and online text) › Blog post or online article
Open Access
Prizes
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Cooper-Hewitt Scholarship: Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York
King, L. (Recipient), 1993
Prize
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Activities
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Poster Boys: the work of Kevin Scally and Brendan Foreman for the Abbey Theatre
King, L. (Organiser)
28 Feb 2025 → …Activity: Curation and Events › Curation
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The Panorama du Congo: Digitising cultural heritage and decolonising the museum
King, L. (Speaker)
27 Jun 2024Activity: Talk or presentation at conference or event › Invited talk
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A Home for Design in Kilkenny (panel participant)
King, L. (Speaker) & Strom, H. (Speaker)
17 Nov 2023Activity: Talk or presentation at conference or event › Invited talk
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Anam: Walking Backwards Into the Future (panel participant)
King, L. (Speaker) & Sheehan, P. (Speaker)
15 Nov 2023Activity: Talk or presentation at conference or event › Invited talk
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Irish Mythologies and Visual Culture
King, L. (Speaker)
6 Mar 2023Activity: Talk or presentation at conference or event › Invited talk
Press/Media
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National Treasures: The Living Legends who make us proud to be Irish
17/03/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media
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Impacts
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A Conversation with Lance Wyman: Offset Creative Festival (public interview): interviewer
King, L. (Participant)
Impact: Cultural impacts
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Building Ireland (RTE1): TV interviewee, subject expert (2019-20)
King, L. (Participant)
Impact: Cultural impacts
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Congo VR: senior researcher (IADT, 2022-3)
King, L. (Participant), Engelen, L. (Participant), Flores, V. (Participant), David Mendes, A. (Participant), Carvalho, R. (Participant), Forceville, W. (Participant), Vandecasteele, T. (Participant) & Mendes Flores, T. (Participant)
Impact: Cultural impacts
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Dave Fanning Show (2FM): regular radio interviewee, subject expert (2020-22)
King, L. (Participant)
Impact: Cultural impacts
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Designing Ireland (RTE1): TV interviewee, subject expert, researcher (2015)
King, L. (Participant)
Impact: Cultural impacts