DABF25 Curator’s Opening Talk | Flock

Part talk, part tour, Selina Guinness will introduce her chosen theme for this year’s Fair: Flock. She will discuss her programme of events and give insight into a selection of books she has nominated alongside her invited readers. Across the programme, Guinness examines all things pastoral: humans and beasts as herding creatures; the relational arts of shepherding; the impact of flocks on habitats; and how wary scapegoats too may flock to survive predation.

Dr. Selina Guinness is lecturer in Irish literature and Head of Teaching and Learning at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, where she works to promote transdisciplinary pedagogies across IADT’s provision. Her current research examines how ideas of kinship and the economics of farming intersect with contemporary Irish memoir and visual arts. Her work is informed by her own experience as a sheep farmer in the Dublin Mountains. More reflections on her flock are detailed in her memoir, The Crocodile by the Door (Penguin, 2012).

Dublin Art Book Fair (4–14 December 2025) is a centre for contemporary artist books offering a wide selection of artist publications and titles from creative, small and independent publishers, both Irish or international, to browse or buy. In conjunction with the Fair, DABF presents an programme of book launches, publishers talks, and workshops, offering ways to engage and gain insight into contemporary independent and arts publishing.

Event location Information: This event takes place in a ground-floor, street-facing Gallery. The space contains tables of various heights displaying books. There may be limited movement for some. For further accessibility information please contact Learning + Public Engagement Curator Órla Goodwin

DABF25 is proudly sponsored by Henry J Lyons and supported by Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and RTÉ Supporting The Arts.