S+T+ARTS4Water II Challenge and STARTS Residency
Lauren Moffatt – Chorcorallium
Host / Region
BETA Festival & ADAPT/ Dublin, Ireland – Port of Belfast
Abstract
This residency seeks to explore the challenges faced in developing and maintaining wind energy farms offshore and creating green infrastructures for the future of ports.
Keywords
immersive tech , deep tech, ai, wind energy, energy transition, systems thinking
Description of the regional challenge
As Northern Ireland’s largest port, Belfast Port serves as a linchpin for regional development, driving growth, investment, and opportunity across diverse sectors. From importing and exporting goods to the cruise industry and renewable energy initiatives, Belfast Port remains at the forefront of fostering prosperity and connectivity for the communities it serves. However, there is a need for infrastructural investment as the island of Ireland has limited deep-water ports, and these need to be upgraded to facilitate offshore wind construction.
What untapped potential lies within the intersections of art, technology, and sustainability, and how can we harness this synergy to redefine Belfast Port’s role in the 21st century? Can we reimagine Belfast Port as a living laboratory for experimentation and innovation, where artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and communities unite to co-create green solutions for a sustainable future? How might we leverage the power of storytelling, immersive experiences, and multimedia platforms to deepen public awareness and appreciation for the significance of Belfast Port and its impact on local and global economies?
How is the mission S+T+ARTS driven?
As Ireland accelerates its transition to sustainable energy, offshore wind emerges as a critical component of its renewable energy portfolio. However, the realisation of this vision hinges on the capacity and capabilities of our ports. With limited deep-water facilities currently available, infrastructural investment is urgently needed to upgrade existing ports and develop new ones. This challenge presents an opportunity to not only drive forward the renewable energy agenda embracing new technologies but also to revitalise and reinvent port communities and catalyse cultural agency and critical reflection to create mutual synergies.
Artists will have ongoing involvement with an interdisciplinary Local Expert Group (LEG), , that will interact with the artists to anchor the residency at local level and enrich the artists’ knowledge on the topic of the residency. Beta Festival will facilitate communication with the port of Belfast and arrange meetings with local partners including Digital Art Studios Belfast and the Maritime Belfast Trust.
Artist-in-residency – Lauren Moffatt
Lauren Moffatt is an Australian artist working between video, performance and immersive technologies. Her works, often presented in multiple forms, explore contemporary subjectivity and connected bodies as well as the limits between virtual and physical worlds. Over a number of years she has developed a body of work pivoting on stereoscopic photography and video and informed by the history of cinema and broadcast technologies. Lauren is interested in how the dimension of depth in moving image can be used as a storytelling device. Her works have been screened and exhibited most recently at Museum Dr. Guislain, SAVVY Contemporary, FACT Liverpool, the Werkleitz Festival and at the ZKM in Karlsruhe. Lauren completed her studies at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney, Paris VIII University and Le Fresnoy Studio National des Arts Contemporains. She currently lives and works in Berlin.
About The Project – Chorcorallium
Chorcorallium is a simulation of a singing coral reef that is generated at the base of an offshore wind farm. Disused human inventions have populated the sea floor around the turbine bases, and the coral and other animals use this sculpture garden as an artificial reef on which to grow. This procedural environment is built collaboratively with sound and sculptural assets contributed by its audience offline during workshops and/or within the interactive experience.
Jury Statement
“The proposal and portfolio are very interesting and demonstrate that the artist can deliver. Builds in stakeholder engagement nicely. Explores the use of VR / XR and can also be educational.“
