Fugitive Papers was an artistic research project by James Merrigan and Michaële Cutaya to explore ideas about art, writing, criticality and public(s) in Ireland at the time. The project aimed at opening critical spaces to think, exchange and debate about art and art-writing through public discussions, printed publications and online. Fugitive Papers worked with artists, writers and publics to consider such questions as: Is there a public role for writings on art? What forms of publishing, presentation, distribution might produce new publics? Can we imagine the emergence of new critical publics in Ireland at this time? Five 20-page publications with commissioned critical writing and artworks, and eight public dialogues, made up the project between 2011-13. It was a good time of critical exchange, in person and in print, before it was substituted for the online populism of today.