S+T+ARTS4Water II Challenge and STARTS Residency
Kat Austen- Coexistence in a post-Petro-plasticene
Host / Region
BETA Festival & ADAPT/ Dublin, Ireland – Port of Belfast
Abstract
The purpose of this residency and challenge is to imagine ways to support the development of a new and extended Port of Galway to enable the port to better serve the people and businesses of Galway while expanding its role in the transition to renewable energy.
Keywords
AI, data, tides, dredging, harbour, symbiocene, reclaimed land, artificial habitats
Description of the regional challenge
Galway, a historic port city on the West Coast of Ireland, faces a pivotal moment in its evolution. The current limitations of the port, constrained by tidal conditions and vessel capacity, hinder its potential as a hub for trade, tourism economic growth and as a key enabler to the transition to renewable energy. To overcome these challenges, the port is embarking on a transformative journey to expand its capabilities to better enable it to deliver port services to the community and businesses in its region. This involves the relocation and extension of port facilities which will enable larger vessels and 24-hour access and enable the port to enhance its service offering to the onshore wind market and, in time, support windfarm energy offshore as well as an overall green transition.
Through this residency, artists are called to reflect on the following questions:
What role can interdisciplinary collaboration play in tackling the complex challenges of port expansion? How does building the capacity of the port enhance the capacity for culture anchored in sustainability? How can we consider a symbiotic approach to development? And what can the tides teach us about being time tied? We seek proposals for art science projects which highlight and address the dual imperative of enhancing the Port of Galway infrastructure while considering a community centred symbiotic approach to sustainable growth.
How is the mission S+T+ARTS driven?
This residency will be supported by researchers and access to technology through ADAPT – the world-leading Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology – who have specific research expertise in AI, Content Analytics, Machine Translation, Personalisation, Multimodal Interaction, Human- Computer Interaction and Data Management, as well as researchers from the University of Galway. The residency will also be connected and supported by the Irish Maritime Development office who is responsible for national dedicated development, promotional and marketing for the shipping and shipping services sector in Ireland.
Beta Festival critically engages with technologies’ impact on society through creativity, experimentation and debate.
Artist-in-residency – Kat Austen
Kat Austen is a person. In her artistic practice, she focusses on environmental issues. She melds disciplines and media, creating sculptural and new media installations, performances and participatory work. Austen’s practice is underpinned by extensive research and theory, and driven by a motivation to explore how to move towards a more socially and environmentally just future.
About The Project – Coexistence in a post-Petro-plasticene
Coexistence in a post-Petro-plasticene (working title) uses microplastic coexistence as a prompt to envision sustainable futures that positively impact the environment. The project aims to address current human impacts and propose symbiotic, reparative futures focusing on the Port of Galway redevelopment. Key technologies include the Symbiophone, an instrument measuring, sonifying, and removing microplastics from Galway tides, and an AI Agent trained with data from the Port of Galway community.
Jury Statement
“Strong and well thought out proposal; previous work in this field is very impressive. Innovative proposed use of AI technology and ties in well with the challenges outlined. Has the potential to be highly engaging and conversation-provoking.“
