Eye-rolling robots, distracted fossil fuel companies and AI assembly to feature as Beta Festival of arts and technology starts this weekend

• Beta, co-founded by The Digital Hub and Aisling Murray, returns from 1st – 17th November with a series of cutting-edge exhibitions, discussions, workshops and more.
• Cannes Film Festival winner Noire to make Irish debut at Beta Festival from 7th – 10th November at the Samuel Beckett Theatre.
• Events and exhibitions will examine the relationship between technology and power, with assembly on AI and Art scheduled for opening weekend.

Do you want to reduce emissions by chatting to fossil fuel businesses on the phone, see a robot roll its eyes at live social media algorithms or go back in time to experience the first act of racial activism in 1950’s America?

Beta Festival, Ireland’s art and technology festival, opens this weekend from Friday, 1^st November to Sunday, 17^th of November at The Digital Hub and the surrounding Dublin 8 area.

Co-founded and supported by The Digital Hub, Beta has announced a full line-up of artists, exhibitions, installations and workshops that will focus on the key theme of the relationship between technology and power, with specific focus areas including artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology.

In addition, a first-of-its-kind Assembly on AI and Art will bring together leading experts in technology and culture to discuss critical areas in the arts industry that are impacted by AI and should be considered for future policy developments, with AI Ambassador for Ireland Patricia Scanlon set to be among the facilitators leading discussions.

Cannes Film Festival winner Noire, the Unknown Life of Claudette Colvin will make its Irish debut at this year’s Beta Festival at the Samuel Beckett Theatre from Thursday, November 7^th to Sunday, November 10^th. Noire tells the real-life story of 15-year-old Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in a segregated 1950s Alabama through an immersive digital performance using virtual reality showing the power of storytelling through technology. Tickets for Noire are limited and range from €15 – €22.

Beta will also host an international exhibition Unsettling the Algorithm: Seeds of Resistance, which will explore how digital systems and algorithms shape, influence and govern our daily lives. Curated by Aisling Murray and Nora O’ Murchú, the exhibition will feature artists including Basil Al-Rawi, Tega Brain and Sam Levigne, Firas Shehadeh, and Winnie Soon and Tzu-Tung Lee among others.

Separately, the Local Artists Network will spotlight 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 will run from Friday, November 1^st to Sunday, November 17^th. Additional workshops covering digital democracy, facial recognition technology and artist networking events are taking place over the two weeks and will be free of charge to attendees.

Events and exhibitions will take 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.

Beta will officially launch on Friday, November 1^st with events including the Assembly on AI and Art, keynote from Abeba Birhane as well as free workshops and panel discussions. The conference over the opening weekend will cover topics from digital activism to immersive storytelling, algorithmic resistance and future archives. Tickets for the conferences are available to purchase from the Beta website from €15 – €25.

Key highlights from the weekend will include:

• Samuel Beckett Theatre will host performances from Noire, an immersive virtual reality performance that tells the story of Claudette Colvin who refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in the 1950s segregated Alabama. Directed by Stéphane Foenkinos and Pierre-Alain Giraud.
• 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 developed with the festival research partner ADAPT Research Centre. This will include The Bigger Picture – an exhibition of new commissions that challenge outdated tropes and offers a more grounded, realistic portrayal of AI.
• 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 and was featured in the TIME 100 Most Influential People in AI list.
• International exhibition Unsettling the Algorithm: Seeds of Resistance, which will explore how algorithms and technology influence and impact our daily lives, with work including Cold Call, a call centre that reimagines carbon offsetting by encouraging viewers to call fossil fuel companies and distract them for as long as possible, delaying carbon-emitting activities.

The opening will take place on Friday, November 1^st with a preview of the exhibition at The Digital Hub, with a reception supported by Diageo Ireland.

Aisling Murray, co-founder and director of Beta Festival, commented:

“In a moment where much of our interaction with the world is mediated by screens and dominated by AI-driven narratives —both utopian and dystopian—Beta aims to create a space where people can come together to critically explore the complexities of our digital culture. This year’s festival brings together artists, researchers, and technologists to examine the power dynamics embedded in new technologies and offer alternative approaches to how we engage with them. Through exhibitions, workshops, and discussions, we hope to empower the public with a sense of agency, encouraging them to question, resist, and rethink the platforms that shape our daily lives.

Ireland is uniquely positioned at this intersection of art, research, and technology, with a wealth of creative talent and intellectual rigor, alongside some of the world’s leading tech companies. By bringing these diverse voices into conversation, we aim to spark meaningful public engagement with the critical issues surrounding technology today. I am so grateful to The Digital Hub for supporting this project and seeing it’s value and relevance and am excited for this year’s edition.”

Fiach Mac Conghail, co-founder of Beta Festival and CEO of The Digital Hub, added:

“The Digital Hub has a strong track record of supporting digital technology industries, creative enterprises and community learning programmes in our Dublin 8 community and wider area. Beta aims to be a culmination of activities within the Liberties campus and act as a starting point to foster discussions on how we can make complex technologies more accessible and tangible for all communities. Beta’s programme for 2024 gives us a prime position to further these objectives and create a meaningful impact with communities interested in art and technology. We are delighted to see the return of Beta following its successful first year and look forward to seeing the work of many great artists and greet the visitors that join us for the festival from November 1^st.”

The Digital Hub and Aisling Murray are being supported in its preparations 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.

Beta Festival will kick off Friday, 1^st November with a variety of events and exhibitions during that time with the centrepiece exhibition, Unsettling the Algorithm: Seeds of Resistance and additional events at The Digital Hub running until Sunday, 17^th November.

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.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of The Digital Hub by Murray.

For more information and interview requests, please contact:

• Rachel Power, Murray | rpower@murraygroup.ie | 087 9399 605
• Richie Oakley, Murray |roakley@murraygroup.ie | 087 245 1824
• Corona Joyce, Murray | cjoyce@murraygroup.ie | 086 370 1947

Artists and organisers available for interview include:

• Beta co-founder and director Aisling Murray
• Unsettling the Algorithm exhibition co-curator Nora O’Murchú
• Aisling Phelan, artist of Surrogate Bodies
• Basil Al-Rawi, artist of House of Memory
• Derek Curry, artist of Boogaloo Bias
• Jennifer Gradecki, artist of Boogaloo Bias
• Kay Watson, Head of Arts Technologies at London’s Serpentine Gallery and keynote speaker
• Abebe Birhane, member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body and AI Advisory Council in Ireland and keynote speaker
• Martin Clancy, AI:OK
• Sam Levigne, artist of Cold Call
• Tega Brain, artist of Cold Call

About Beta Festival:

Taking Ireland’s role as a central node in today’s wired world as a starting point, Beta festival showcases and celebrates Ireland’s research and artistic communities through a combination of creativity, debate and experimentation. Beta allows members of the public to engage playfully and critically with new technologies.

Co-founded and supported by The Digital Hub, Beta festival provides an international platform and anchor for the community of digital artists and researchers based in Ireland, providing commissioning, upskilling, residency and mentorship opportunities, as well as nurturing a creative pipeline and creating pathways for industry collaboration.

The 2024 edition of Beta will explore a range of themes relating to AI, Automated Systems, and the politics of resistance in an algorithmic age. Through a programme of exhibitions, workshops and talks, the festival will interrogate what kinds of powers reside in technology.

The programme will explore critical themes such as the relationship between technology and power, community representation and elevating empathy through creative technologies. Beta aims to increase tech and digital literacy in the general public through exhibitions, screenings, panel discussions and workshops.

The Digital Hub and Aisling Murray are being supported in its preparations for Beta by Science Week, Ambassade de France en Irlande and Institut Français, British Council, ADAPT Research Centre, Smart Dublin, European Media Art Platform (EMAP), Fire Station Artist’s Studio, Creative Futures Academy, The Arts Council, and Pallas Projects.