Cybernate

Project Name

Cybernate

Project Partners

Cybernate is produced by Culture Works.

Supported by Galway County Council, The French Embassy in Ireland and the Hacnum Network.

In partnership with with Pôle Pixel, CREW, ATU and the Centre for Creative Technologies at the University of Galway.

Role of Galway Culture Company

Cybernate is an initiative of the Galway Culture Company and is funded by the Galway Culture Company.

Strategic Aim

This project falls under our second strategic aim;

Support and Develop Place-based Programming

Project Description

The residency is a collaboration between Ireland and France, supporting Irish and French artists by providing artists working in digital arts with the time and space to interrogate access to public space through artistic/digital means and seeks to explore what it means to create digital artworks in the public space in the current climate of societal change.

Projects outcomes-what we expect from this project

The aim of this research residency is to offer participating artists time, space and networking opportunities. Participating artists then develop a project idea in Digital Arts for public space and present a work in progress at the end of the residency.

Cybernate aims to provide artists working in digital arts with the time and space to interrogate access to public space through artistic/digital means and seeks to explore what it means to create digital artworks in the public space in the current climate of societal change.

Cybernate was launched as a response to the Joint Plan of Action (2021-2025) between Ireland and France. The Plan aims to strengthen and deepen relations between the two countries across a range of cultural, educational and political activities. Among the aims of this plan is to foster the digital economy and to jointly promote cultural exchanges, including the creation of several new cultural fellowships and residency programmes between Irish and French institutions.

Selected Artists 2023

Following on from a call for submissions, six fantastic artists were selected:

  • Anna Bacheva (BG/ FR)
  • Bonnie Fortage / Enter.Black (FR)
  • Dorian Rigal aka Minuit (FR)
  • Hugh Farrell (IE)
  • Nadia Armstrong (IE)
  • Scott Robinson (IE)

Read about the selected artists for 2023 here.

The first part of the residency took place in Lyon during the Fête des Lumières in December 2022. Artists had access to a working space and received masterclasses and mentoring advice from experts such as Géraldine Farage and Marion Vézine and meeting Lyon based creative such as AADN – Arts & Cultures Numériques and Theoriz Studio.

The second part of the Cybernate residency took place at the end of February in Galway. Artists had time to develop their project ideas further in Galway and meet Irish creatives before presenting their work in progress.

Selected Artists 2024

The 2024 Cybernate Digital Arts Residency launched on 3rd November 2023. The project was delivered in partnership with Culture Works and was announced at the BETA festival in Dublin.

Following on from a call for submissions, six fantastic artists were selected:

  • Leon Butler
  • Jane Cassidy
  • Jennifer Cunningham
  • Ryan McKenna
  • Cyrielle Tissandier, AADN
  • William Board, Dark Euphoria

Read about the selected artists for 2024 here. 

During their residency week in Galway, participants dove into immersive technologies at the Centre for Creative Technologies at University of Galway and visited Cue One Ireland’s Studio in Claregalway. The French producers dove headfirst into Ireland’s Digital Arts Ecosystem, immersing themselves in Galway’s vibrant arts scene and forging connections with local partners. They also shared a coffee with Cybernate alumni Nadia J Armstrong and Scott Robinson. Galway artists were immersed in their Cybernate projects at the residency space in the Crew Hub before they traveled to Lyon, France in April (hosted by Pôle Pixel) for the next leg of the residency.

Following a month of intensive research and development in Galway, the Cybernate artists showcased their progress to French producers Cyrielle Tissandier (AADN – Arts et Cultures Numériques), William Board (DARK EUPHORIA), and Hugh Farrell (Embassy of Ireland France), receiving invaluable feedback and advice for their projects. Afterwards, they immersed themselves in Lyon/Villeurbanne’s dynamic digital arts scene at Pôle Pixel. From studio visits to GRAME Musiques Exploratoires CNCM and exploring THÉORIZ Studio’ LabLab experimental digital space to engaging in one-on-one meetings with Maxime Touroute, Simon Leroux and Laurent Vang, it was an unforgettable journey. There was also a visit from Ciara de Mora, Irish Consul in Lyon.

How is this project funded

This project was initially funded by the Arts Council’s pilot International Residency Programme and Galway Culture Company.

Cybernate is now funded by Galway Culture Company which is supported by the Government of Ireland under the National Development Plan through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, with support from Galway County Council, The French Embassy in Ireland and the Hacnum Network.

Duration

The first programme’s duration was September 2022 – March 2023. The second programme’s duration was November 2023 – June 2024.