NCAD and The Digital Hub launch Digital Cultures webinar series

The National College of Art and Design (NCAD), in partnership with The Digital Hub, has launched a series of Digital Culture webinars which will be broadcast via YouTube over the next twelve weeks. The series will focus on the transformative nature of emerging technologies.

The Digital Cultures webinar series is designed to bring together audiences from a range of perspectives, including academics and thinkers, students and alumni, the arts sector and the wider general public. The webinar series is convened by The Digital Hub artist in residence and NCAD Alumna, Elaine Hoey and NCAD Lecturer in Digital Cultures, Dr Rachel O’ Dwyer.

With a focus on the transformative nature of emerging technologies, the webinar series will cover a range of topics including: data as art; the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI); digital economies; and digital algorithms. Free to attend, the webinars will be broadcast on YouTube. For those interested in attending one or more of the webinars, there is no registration required.

Speaking at the launch of the Digital Cultures webinar series, Professor Sarah Glennie, Director, NCAD said: “We are very pleased to launch the Digital Cultures webinar series alongside our partners at The Digital Hub. Our partnership builds on stakeholder participation at the intersection of artistic practice, technology and society; at a time when technology and Artificial Intelligence are more crucial components of our everyday lives than ever before, we very much look forward to the fascinating discussions that the webinars will undoubtedly inspire.”

Fiach Mac Conghail, CEO, The Digital Hub said: “We are pleased, at The Digital Hub to be collaborating with our Thomas Street neighbours NCAD, in delivering on this programme of talks. Artificial Intelligence creates both opportunities and challenges for artists, entrepreneurs and communities. It is vital that we should broaden this discussion and understand all its possibilities. We, at The Digital Hub, see ourselves at that intersection between creativity, technology and community and with the programming input of our artist in residence Elaine Hoey we look forward to hearing about new perspectives and expertise in this forthcoming series of talks.”

Details of the Digital Cultures webinars are as follows:

Translating Nature: Data as Art
Date: Thursday 18 March 2021
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Moderator: Dr Rachel O’Dwyer
Panellists: Dr Patrick Bresnihan; Dr Julie Freeman; Fiona McDonald

AI and Ethics: Moral Machines – Model Behaviour
Date: Thursday 1 April 2021
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Moderator: Elaine Hoey
Panellists: Nora Al Badri; Professor Barry O’Sullivan

AI and Creativity: Speculative Futures
Date: Thursday 15 April 2021
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Moderator: Elaine Hoey
Panellists: Johanna Bruckner; Dr Arthur Miller

Digital Economies | Digital Intimacies
Date: Thursday 29 April 2021
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Moderator: Dr Rachel O’Dwyer
Panellists: Antonia Hernández; Dr Kylie Jarrett

What Does the Algorithm See?
Date: Thursday 13 May 2021
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Moderator: Dr Rachel O’Dwyer
Panellists: Rosa Menkman; Joana Zylinska

AI and Bias:  Feminist & Queer Perspectives
Date: Thursday 27 May 2021
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Moderator: Elaine Hoey
Panellists: Caroline Campbell, Loitering Theatre; Coral Manton, Women Reclaiming AI

Webinar 7: Collaboration
Date: Thursday 10 June 2021
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Moderator: Elaine Hoey & Dr Rachel O’Dwyer
Panellists: Dr Mercedes Bunz, Creative AI Lab Serpentine Gallery

Full details on all webinars can be seen here. Webinars are free and do not require registration.

The landing page for all events can be accessed here.