Irish Artists Premiere Foolish Flame at Ars Electronica Festival 2025

Foolish Flame is a groundbreaking XR installation fusing tradition, technology, and climate storytelling supported by Beta Festival, Culture Ireland, The Digital Hub and Project Arts Centre.

Irish artists Peter Power and Leon Butler have been commissioned by Ars Electronica – one of the world’s most prestigious festivals of art, technology and society – to premiere their new XR installation Foolish Flame this September in Linz, Austria. This marks a significant international achievement for Ireland’s art and technology scene, spotlighting the innovation and ambition of Irish creators on the global stage.

Foolish Flame is a pioneering XR installation exploring climate change and cultural memory through live performance, machine learning, and immersive spatial design. Building on their acclaimed work Dwelling, audiences encounter a mythic AI performer within responsive digital landscapes, becoming living avatars in a collective digital ritual. The work is scored with live Uilleann pipes, electronics, and voice, creating a unique sensory environment that merges art, technology, and ecological reflection.

At its heart wanders the “Foolish Flame” – an autonomous digital spirit inspired by the myth of the will-o’-the-wisp, embodying humanity’s fragile relationship with nature. Drawing on archives of traditional Sean-nós dance and choreography by Robyn Byrne, the work reinterprets ancient movement vocabularies with AI and interactive avatar systems, creating a dynamic world where audience presence reshapes the environment itself.

Performances take place in Ars Electronica’s iconic Deep Space 8K theatre on:

• Performance – Thursday 4 September, 17:30
• Performance – Friday 5 September, 18:00
• Panel Discussion – Friday 5 September, 11:00

This project is produced by Aisling Murray (Beta Festival), Maura O’Keeffe (Once Off Productions), and line producer Miles Harrigan.

Speaking on the commission, Sophie Motley, Artistic Director of Project Arts Centre said:

“To see Irish artists presenting ambitious new work at Ars Electronica is a milestone moment for the Digital Arts in Ireland. Foolish Flame weaves Ireland’s cultural memory into a global conversation about climate change, technology and our collective future. It’s exactly the kind of world-class, critically engaged project that Ireland needs to be recognised for.”

The work will have a presentation at Beta Festival in November in partnership with Project Arts Centre and The Digital Hub.

Aisling Murray, Creative Producer for the project and Beta Festival director, has also been invited to give the Keynote on the Friday at Ars Electronica.

Founded in 1979, Ars Electronica is the preeminent international festival for art, technology and society, attracting over 100,000 visitors annually. Its 2025 edition, themed “PANIC – yes/no”, runs from 3-7 September in Linz, Austria.

Foolish Flame is supported by Beta Festival, Culture Ireland, The Digital Hub and Project Arts Centre.

Author
Digital Hub Team