~~ Not Breaking ~~
~~ This Wave Drowns Hate ~~ is a story of communication across boundaries, a collective envisioning of more harmonious futures with the oceans in the face of the polycrisis.
This dynamic and constantly evolving installation responds not only to the exhibition’s visitors but also to the voice of the ocean, prompting a bespoke AI agent to continuously re-envision images of sustainable ocean futures, projected onto sail cloth from a traditional Irish sailing vessel. Visitors are drawn through the exhibition by 5 bronze sculptures, hand cast in a replica bronze-age foundry, their movement sensed and fed to the installation’s AI, which has been trained on a database of inspirations contributed by residents of the Irish Atlantic Coast.
Using the themes of coexistence and the coevolution of ecosystems with microplastics, “~~ Not Breaking ~~ This Wave Drowns Hate ~~” addresses the ongoing effects of human influence and proposes pathways toward a more symbiotic, reparative, and thriving future.
Central to the project are two innovative technological elements. First, the prototype of the Symbiophone, which detects, sonifies, and extracts microplastic particles from water, transforming data into an immersive auditory experience. Second, an AI Agent trained using images created by the local portside community members in Galway. Within the installation, the Galway waters, the public, and the AI Agent will work together to generate visions for a future defined by human-sea relationships, centred on remediation, mutual growth, and ecological lushness.
Credits
This work was commissioned within the framework of the S+T+ARTS 4Water II residency programme by ADAPT Centre at Dublin City University and Beta Festival, produced by Culture Works, with the support of Port of Galway, Galway Culture Company, Galway City Council and the S+T+ARTS programme of the European Union. Supported by iii instrumentinventors.org and Waves of Change funded by the Marine Institute.
Artist: Kat Austen
Digital Artist and Technological Coordinator: Daniel Hengst
AI Researchers: Sarmad Khan, Shubhanker Banerjee, Boualem Benatallah, ADAPT
Engineering: Ed Devane
Community Partners: Access for All Galway, Galway City Partnership, University of Galway, Scoil Bhríde Shantalla, Galway Hooker Sailing Club, Interface Inagh
Vision Contributors:
Maeve Kernan, Maria Buckley, Time, Ciaran Oliver, Susanne Lally, Bartley Fannin, eclaire, Teanasea, Marina Postir, Cormac Ó Gibne, Oksana, Yermolieva, Yana Diadchuk, Alona, Flanna Bell, Olena Tolkachenko, Kateryna Samko, Elvira Sieitabla, Kostiantyn Aleksandrov, Josh Cuskelly, Sean McManus, AJ, Dobrusia, Niamh Snowdon, Erin Smith, Ailbhe Whyte, Leon McAleenan, Linda Schirmer, Breda Burns, Laney Mannion, Natasha Johnson
BetaFestival: Producer
CultureWorks: Local producers