Beta Festival returns to The Digital Hub
Beta, co-founded by The Digital Hub and Aisling Murray, returned to The Digital Hub from the 1st to 17th November with a series of cutting-edge exhibitions, discussions, workshops and more.
Beta Festival, Ireland’s art and technology festival, opened last weekend on Friday, 1st November and will run until Sunday, 17th November at The Digital Hub and the surrounding Dublin 8 area.
Co-founded and supported by The Digital Hub, Beta consists of a full line-up of artists, exhibitions, installations and workshops that focus on the key theme of the relationship between technology and power, with specific focus areas including artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology.
Beta officially launched with events including the Assembly on AI and Art as well as free workshops and panel discussions. The conference, over the opening weekend, covered topics from digital activism to immersive storytelling, algorithmic resistance and future archives. It included keynote talks from Kay Watson, Head of Arts Technologies at London’s Serpentine Gallery and Abebe Birhane, who is a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body.
Cannes Film Festival winner Noire, the Unknown Life of Claudette Colvin made its Irish debut at this year’s Beta Festival at the Samuel Beckett Theatre on Thursday, 7th November (showing until 10th November).
Beta is showcasing an international exhibition Unsettling the Algorithm: Seeds of Resistance, which explores how digital systems and algorithms shape, influence and govern our daily lives. The exhibition was curated by Nora O’ Murchú and Beta co-founder, Aisling Murphy.
The Ethics Studio, a space for members of the public to engage with real ethical concerns and potential real-world impacts of new and emerging technologies was developed with the festival research partner ADAPT Research Centre. This includes The Bigger Picture – an exhibition of new commissions that challenge outdated tropes and offers a more grounded, realistic portrayal of AI.
Separately, the Local Artists Network spotlights emerging Irish artists with new work from Conan McIvor and new commissions from Aisling Phelan and Cailean Finn. Both exhibitions are free of charge and are currently running until Sunday, 17th November. Additional workshops covering digital democracy, facial recognition technology and artist networking events are taking place over the two weeks and are free of charge to attendees.
Events and exhibitions are currently taking place predominantly in buildings across The Digital Hub campus, including iD8 Studio, The Bank and wider Dublin areas including Pallas Projects Studios, Fire Station Artists Studio and the Samuel Beckett Theatre.
The Digital Hub and Aisling Murray are being supported for Beta by Science Week, Ambassade de France en Irlande and Institut Français, British Council, ADAPT Research Centre, Smart Dublin, Fire Station Artist’s Studio, Creative Futures Academy, The Arts Council and Pallas Projects.
To find out more about Beta Festival 2024 and how to purchase event tickets, visit https://2024.betafestival.ie/ or follow Beta Festival on Instagram, LinkedIn or X for the latest updates.
AuthorDigital Hub Team