DCU in partnership with the Arts Council announce Fiona McDonald as Artist in Residence in Technology and Innovation
Dublin City University and the Arts Council today announce Fiona McDonald as the inaugural Artist in Residence in Technology and Innovation at Talent Garden on DCU Alpha campus.
The residency offers a unique opportunity for the artist in residence to work within an innovative co-working environment and to engage with a community of researchers, engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs, plus access to a cutting edge research community in the field of innovation and technologies through DCU Alpha and Talent Garden.
Fiona McDonald said
“As an interdisciplinary artist and educator whose practice is embedded in hardware, code, sculpture, audio and generative works; an immersive engagement with the digital and tech communities at Talent Garden is an exciting opportunity for me.
Following on from recent projects, I hope to explore visualising the effects of natural capital on the health and wellbeing of humans. The Talent Garden building in collaboration with DCU Alpha has plans to be a test bed for a suite of technologies to create an emotionally intelligent building.
As I continue to develop my practice I look forward to learning more about AI and Machine to Machine (M2M) by attending some of the online AI workshops across the globally connected Talent Garden campuses. This residency offers me time to engage in the dialogue around AI ethics, deductive and reductive algorithms and how these systems affect how choices are being made in the world.”
Prof. Daire Keogh, President of DCU, said:
“We are excited to welcome Fiona McDonald as DCU’s first Artist in Residence in Technology and Innovation. The residency reflects our commitment for the ‘connected space’ where art and technological innovation are joined. By creating a space where STEM and Art collaborate, this residency illustrates the sweet spot which people describe as STEAM.”
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council said:
“The Arts Council welcomes the appointment of Fiona McDonald today, and is delighted to be involved in this partnership with Dublin City University. It provides an important and exciting opportunity for an artist to explore the possibilities that arise at the intersections between art and technological innovation. It also provides crucial time, space and resources for an artist to develop her practice.”
Machaela O'Leary, Campus Manager Talent Garden Dublin said:
“In Talent Garden we aim to create an ecosystem where creative and digital minds collide. We are truly excited to support Fiona McDonald as DCU’s first Artist in Residence in Technology and Innovation. Our strategic partnership with Dublin City University has created an engaging environment on the DCU Alpha campus, where early stage innovation meets with cutting edge research and expertise.
We want Talent Garden to be seen as a playground for digital entrepreneurs to explore and be inspired by, this residency is the perfect opportunity to achieve this ambition.”
About the Artist in Residence in Technology and Innovation
The residency provides the environment and resources to explore innovative technologies through their practice.
The Arts Council’s investment in this residency is part of a commitment to extend the range of contexts in which artists can avail of residency opportunities.
About Fiona McDonald
Fiona McDonald is a Dublin based interdisciplinary artist. She holds a BSc in Biological Chemistry from University of Ulster a BA & MA in Fine Art from NCAD & a MSc in Multimedia Systems TCD.
Her recent work includes Sensing Ecologies, a soundscape of geo-located sounds and interviews created for Bull Island.
http://www.fionamcdonald.digital
About Talent Garden
Founded in Brescia in 2011, Talent Garden is now the leading European coworking network and educational institute for the digital and tech community. Their network spans 21 campuses in 7 countries. (Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Spain).
Talent Garden's mission is to create local, vibrant, globally connected campuses that empower digital and tech communities.
Talent Garden is based in DCU ALPHA, DCU’s research-intensive innovation campus dedicated to inspiring the development of future technologies.