There are two constructions on campus which are commonly assumed to be incomplete. Of these two, only one can genuinely claim such an excuse. The Arts Block merely affects an aesthetic incomplete lego, while the Trinity Long Room Hub (TLRH) is in fact far from finished.
Named for Trinity’s iconic 18th Century Library the institute is being designed to accommodate a further ‘space’ for inter-disciplinary research within the humanities.
The official line claims that “TCD aspires to be a world reference point for arts and humanities research, and TLRH is a mechanism to support the achievement of this goal.” The Institute’s format was to some extent modelled on the success of its sister research institutions Crann and TCIN, this has helped streamline its implementation.
It is true that the TLRH boasts a completion date but the estimate is largely figurative, insofar as the TLRH is more an idea birthed in October 2007 then a building yet to be established. If the plans and projected image are any measure, the building will take the form of a rough rectangle complete with a bizarre carapace of chiselled stone slabs which grant the building a chequered façade. There are further plans to incorporate a timber finish to the interior, which will house both research rooms and state of the art AV and video conferencing facilities. We can expect the theory to be cemented by April 2010 at estimated cost in excess of 5million euro.
Even though the institute currently lacks any kind of physical instantiation, it’s body-politic currently oversees and organizes a number of research projects and events.
One such notable enterprise is focused upon the future digitalisation of academic resources and the effect this will have on the humanities, while another incorporates the utility of programmes such as iTunes U for the purposes of information dissemination.
The TLRH maintains “a firm commitment to both the tried and true methods (peer reviewed publications) and the new modes of communication offered to us by technology”… and “will continue to look for equally appropriate ways of expanding our audiences as we grow and develop”
Such projects fall under a specific research theme entitled Humanities and technology. The intent is to discover the most efficient manner in which educational practices can benefit from technological advance. Advance, (one must surmise) such as buildings. Other themes such as “Ireland –Text and Contexts” are admittedly less practical but no less important.
The long term goals of the institute include far more than walls, and all of these plans are built on a collaborative base of dialogue and dispute between the many and varied schools of TCD humanities. Not to mention the start up grant of 11million euro awarded by the HEA in 2007. In accord with laws of economic gravity, a number of annual scholarships are dispensed under the auspices of the TLRH – the worth of allocated funding in 2008 was 70,000 euro and in 2009 89,000euro. These awards are granted to researchers that further the goals of the institute.
The Institute’s mission statement claims that “It seeks to ask and answer questions about human identity in global contexts, focussing research energies and thereby helping to realise the creative potential of Trinity College as a great national and international institution.” The tag-line of the institute insists that its purpose is the business of “exploring the human condition”. In practice such an aim finds itself manifest in series of keynote talks sponsored by TLRH. These talks recently included such delightful topics as: “Irish sexual taboos (or lack thereof)”, “The role and mission of the Humanities” and “Freedom of information, Freedom of inquiry”
The variety of the topics is vast and indicative of a healthy catholicity of interests, and, such a variety can only be overseen by an institute such as the TLRH. The field of information is too vast for the review and assessment of an individual. As such the TLRH includes representatives from seven academic schools, namely: The School of Drama, Film and Music, the School of English, the School of Histories and Humanities, the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies, the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, the School of Religions, Theology and Ecumenics, and the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy.
It is a truism that the humanities must incorporate more than one perspective, but what determines how many perspectives the Humanities require? It seems odd that no mention of business, law or the hard sciences features among the list above. Commitment to truth and knowledge necessarily eschews too narrow a perspective, and it cannot be true that the omitted disciplines lack the concept human. The view that humans are a resource to be poke and prodded from cubicle to photocopier is a dominant world view and refusal to acknowledge this often renders us poorer for it.
While the notion of objectivity in the humanities is often doubtful, the object of investigation is not. Either the human condition has a degree of fixity or it does not. If there is no fixity to the human condition then the TLRH “explores” nothing in particular. If there is then there are topics that can miss the mark, and the regulation of such ought to be subject to arbitration. Therefore, given their tag-line the TLRH has surely committed itself to the task of curtailing the perpetuation of ad hoc characterisations of the human condition while endorsing those of worth.
The worry is that the conferring of legitimacy should not occur in advance of investigation, and if the lines which delineate the investigation of humanity are too finely drawn a legitimate inquiry may be ignored because of its failure to accord with the standard. It is arguable that the hard sciences influence far more what we consider human than art history, and as such its absence is shocking in a project which professes to be inter-disciplinary.
That being said, the development of TLRH is only in its initial stages and its success so far, has been remarkable. But for all that success if they wish to attain their stated goals of first establishing Trinity as “as one of those fabled places of scholarship and of learning” and second, exploring the human condition, then surely the gap between disciplines in the future should fade and hard lines be dispensed so as to accommodate any relevant research?
Interview with Jo D’Arcy, the Outreach and Communications Officer
What are the aspirations of the institute?
TCD aspires to be a world reference point for arts and humanities research, and TLRH is a mechanism to support the achievement of this goal. The TLRH’s vision is to support and promote the excellence of TCD’s scholars and library for the benefit of the international arts and humanities research, community and humanity. The TLRH aims to be a global resource that sustains the whole spectrum of arts and humanities research at TCD internally, nationally and internationally. The TLRH will be a point of interface where public and private sector stakeholders can access and engage with relevant university based humanities research.
Have there been any difficulties in the process of establishing the institute, if so, what were they, and if not, to what do you attribute your successful avoidance of pitfalls?
TLRH was fortunate to have been able to build on the experiences of our sister Trinity Research Institutes, Crann and TCIN, and was established as College’s second TRI without difficulty.
Will digital education (such as iTunes U,) play a significant part in the future of the Institution, and if so, what do you feel are the pros and cons of such educational strategies?
TLRH recognises that we stand in the middle of a sea change in the way audiences engage with information. As such, we maintain a firm commitment to both the tried and true methods (peer reviewed publications) and the new modes of communication offered to us by technology. iTunesU has been a great way for us to increase the impact of the events we hold, and we will continue to look for equally appropriate ways of expanding our audiences as we grow and develop.
What is the total cost of the four storey building to be completed by April 2010, and did this cost match initial expectation?
We are still negotiating some aspects of the building finish and its contents, so I cannot yet say what the total cost will have been. The builder’s tender was very keen, however, and the building contract, which was worth ca. 5.8M included most of the items specified in our requirements, including some of the finishes and fittings.
Does the Institute have a mission statement?
The TLRH facilitates Trinity College’s strategic development of research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences through the fuller exploitation of the College’s outstanding research collections and the creation of a community of scholars across a range of disciplines. It seeks to ask and answer questions about human identity in global contexts, focussing research energies and thereby helping to realise the creative potential of Trinity College as a great national and international institution.
Where do you see TCD Humanities in ten years, and part will the Institute play?
Arts and humanities at TCD have been undergoing a process of transformation over the past 10 years, while staying true to the core of the disciplines we represent and the methods we apply. In another 10 years, we see Trinity entering the imaginations of humanities scholars across the worlds as one of those fabled places of scholarship and of learning. The TLRH will support the development of Trinity as a fabled place, both for the scholars who are here permanently and those who are only here for a short research visit, by attracting investment into our constituent research areas and building a rich and supportive research environment.
