Beta Festival 2024

Beta Festival, Ireland’s art and technology festival, started today.

Featuring a robot that rolls its eyes at live social media algorithms, the opportunity to reduce emissions by distracting fossil fuel companies and digital tools that investigate real-life conspiracies, Beta runs until Sunday, November 17th at The Digital Hub and wider 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 which are impacted by AI and should be considered for future policy developments.

AI Ambassador for Ireland Patricia Scanlon will 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 7th to Sunday, November 10th.

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.

The production uses virtual reality to provide viewers with an immersive digital experience.

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 1st to Sunday, November 17th.

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 officially launched today 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 today featured 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 its 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 1st.”

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, 1st 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, 17th 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.